The Shinjun Tribe
by chibimaker
Summary: AU. FULL SUMMARY INSIDE. The Shinjuns are the fifth group of people in the four nations, and they reside all over the world in different places. They are people who have human faces and bodies, but they normally have tails and ears of animals. Since the war started, the Shinjuns were against the Fire nation. This one story is about Hoshiko, who meets the last airbender... OC/OC.
1. The Beginning

_This fan fiction is slightly AU. Actually, it's big-time AU. I have included two OC's who have a romance, and I'm introducing some new element bending(Not real elements, but I don't care). The Shinjuns are the fifth group of people in the four nations, and they reside all over the world in different places, somewhat nomadic. They are people who have human faces and bodies, but they normally have tails and ears of animals. They know only a few bending techniques: Sand-bending, lightening-bending, and Shadow-bending. Ever since the war started, the Shinjuns were against the Fire nation, and for their intolerance of them, they were captured and turned into slaves for rich Fire nation people. Some have escaped, others are still bound to nobles and soldiers in the Fire nation. This one story is about a Shinjun named Hoshiko, who meets the last air bender…_

* * *

1 

_Tears fell as the girl stared at the fire that consumed her home, her father still inside. She saw the armored man turn to her, a terrifying look about him. Her mind was screaming at her legs to get up, to run away, but they didn't listen. Her legs were glued to the ground, her tears never ceasing. As the man began to walk over to her, she felt her arms being yanked and she tried to keep up with the one who was dragging her along. Her tears kept coming as she sobbed instead of breathed. She was pulled behind a barrel in an empty alley._

"_Hoshiko!" The teenage boy hissed at her, "Stop crying! If you aren't quiet, we'll be caught." She covered her mouth and nodded, still crying. The boy pulled her up against his chest as more armored men went by. He held her tightly so they could conceal themselves. Once they passed, he grabbed her hand and they ran into the forest behind their village. They ran about fifteen feet before a wall of fire stopped them from going any further. They screamed and fell back, looking up at the man who had made the fire._

"_You won't go any further, demons!" He said as he raised his fist, preparing to shoot another stream of fire._

Hoshiko sat up in her sleeping bag, gasping. She looked around her campsite and looked down at the blonde sleeping next to her on the other side of their burnt up campfire. She took in deep breaths and held her head. Trying to rid the nightmare from her mind. She heard shifting and looked to see her friend sit up.

"Hey." She greeted sleepily, rubbing her eye. "Why are you awake?"

"Nightmare." Hoshiko answered. She looked up and saw the gentle blues of the morning creeping their way into the sky. "It's almost dawn, we should go." Her friend nodded, standing and stretching out her drowsiness. She looked at Hoshiko and saw her packing up the sleeping bags.

"Did you say nightmare?" Xana asked, her sleepiness slowly lifting. Hoshiko froze. "It was the one about your home, wasn't it?" Hoshiko looked to her and nodded, her blue eyes showing the fear she felt back then.

For the past two weeks, Hoshiko had been experiencing the same nightmare, always about the same thing. How she and Kotaro had run from the soldiers, who they now knew were Fire nation. She had not seen Kotaro in two years, she also hadn't seen her family, or any other friends besides Xana that were alive (that she knew of).

They had found each other two months ago while traversing the same Earth kingdom town. They were best friends when their homes still stood, now they're forced to live life as refugees. They stuck together, thick as thieves, for two months.

But now, they had decided to part ways.

They were both looking for any members of their tribe, if there were any more. It's easy to tell their tribe members apart from regular people. That was because they weren't human.

Every member of the Shinjun tribe wasn't human. They normally had the ears or tail of an animal. Xana had green, scaly skin, and long blonde hair. She had the scaly tail of any common lizard, and her amber eyes could be soft and warm as sunlight itself, but they could also be as harsh and as unforgiving as a blade fit for battle. Xana herself was a generally kind person, who could be eccentric at certain times, but not all the time.

Hoshiko had two black cat ears to match the color of her short dark hair, and a long black tail, her blue eyes were large and innocent in appearance, but in reality, they had seen more cruelties than she cared to see ever again.

Xana sighed, "I can't imagine what it must be like to relive that awful night." She looked to her friend, her eyes soft, "You must miss him a lot." Xana spoke of Kotaro, her dearest and closest friend from her tribe. Hoshiko nodded numbly.

"I do miss him, and I miss everyone else, too." She said, "But mourning for them isn't going to help us." Xana smiled at her and nodded.

* * *

Xana and Hoshiko stared at the map in front of them. "So, where will I go and where will you go?" Xana asked her friend. The first thing Hoshiko saw was the walls around Ba Sing Se.

"You… You will go further east. To Ba-Sing-Se." She said, pointing to the city, "Fire Nation tried to break through it before, and failed. You should be safe there."

"And yourself?" Xana asked. Hoshiko kept looking over the map, and looked at the picture of the North Pole. _The home of the Northern Water Tribe…_ She thought.

"I'll head as far North as I can go." She said, pointing to the North Pole, "I'll see if I can find a place to stay in the Water Tribe."

"But it's still winter!" Xana exclaimed, "And you wanna hide out in the frozen tundra? You'll freeze!"

"The Northern Water Tribe has survived a hundred years of war very easily." Hoshiko said, "I should be just as safe there as I was in Ba-Sing-Se, if not more." Hoshiko saw her concerned friend's face, "I'll be alright, I'll be surrounded by water benders, and you'll be perfectly safe around earth benders." The reptilian girl sighed.

"Okay, then." She said, standing, "I'll head east, and you'll head north." Hoshiko nodded, standing as well. "I'm gonna miss you, you know."

"I'll miss you, too, Xana." Hoshiko said, "At the very least, you were good company to keep around." Xana laughed, when she stopped the two of them shared a sad look before hugging each other, "Goodbye Xana."

"Goodbye Hoshi." Xana said, using Hoshiko's favorite nickname. She smiled and waved to her friend as they went their separate ways.

* * *

Hoshiko looked up at all of the ships, unsure of which ship was the one she required. She finally came upon a ship that had a dark blue and light blue triangle design on the side as well as some animal pelts made of white fur. The ship was being loaded up with different boxes of various shapes and sizes by men with dark skin and brown hair that was styled in all different types of ponytails or topknots. All of them wore blue tunics, and she saw thick coats hanging off a few hooks on the ship's wall. She saw a man with blue eyes directing the supply load, and she assumed he was the man in charge.

She walked up to him, "Excuse me, sir!" He looked over to her. "Where is this ship bound?"

"We're headed northward, miss." He told her, keeping an eye on the men, "We're delivering- Hey! Chakko! You be careful with that ink barrel!" He reprimanded a young man who was carrying a mid-size barrel, and had almost dropped it. "We're delivering supplies to some nobles up north."

"How far up north?" Hoshiko asked, the man turned his attention to her, and her eyes were instantly drawn to the burn mark surrounding his eye in a crescent shape on the left side of his face.

"All the way to the arctic, why?" He asked, suddenly suspicious of the young Shinjun.

"I need to get to the Northern Water tribe." She told him, "It's safest there. How much would it cost me to come aboard your ship?"

"What about your parents?" He asked, "Or your siblings? Aren't they worried about you?"

"Oh… No, sir." Hoshiko said, "The Fire nation destroyed my village, and in doing so, they burned down my home. I managed to get out, but my family…" The man's eyes softened as they looked at her. "A-Anyway, I need to get to the North Pole. If only to be safe. How much?" The man shook his head.

"No price." He said, "You can come on the boat, we're headed for a noble in the Northern Water tribe, actually. I can give you a spot somewhere on deck, I won't promise the warmest bed, but…"

"Give me something to make a hammock and I'll be fine." Hoshiko said, the man nodded.

"What's your name, girl?" He asked.

"Hoshiko, sir." She said, bowing slightly.

"A pleasure, my name is Shin-jii." He introduced, "Captain of this fine vessel."

"Then the pleasure is all mine, captain." Hoshiko said, smiling at him.

* * *

Hoshiko stared out at the ice burgs surrounding the ship. She had been on the ship, which she had learned was called the 'Arctic bear,' for almost two weeks. According to Shin-jii, it would only be one or two more days until they reach the North Pole. She looked up at the dark night sky and stared at the Northern lights dancing around the stars. The crewmates had gotten used to having her on board, even if she didn't do much. A crewmate named Katsu had lent her a parka for the freezing winter nights through the arctic waters. She snuggled into the thick coat and tucked her legs into it, in an attempt to keep herself warm.

She heard footsteps and looked to see the crewman called Chakko come on board. She paid him no mind as he went around the ship, knowing that it was his turn for watch. The footsteps became a little louder and they stopped, Hoshiko opened her eyes to see Chakko standing a couple feet from her hammock, which she had made from an old sail that Shin-jii said was too small for their ship to use.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He asked her, Hoshiko looked at the blue-eyed water bender, who looked back.

"The lights?" She asked, he nodded. They both turned their attention to the sky, seeing purple mesh with green, pink, and blue. "They're gorgeous."

"They say that the spirits of all our loved ones travel through those lights." Chakko said, "That light is a one-way ticket to the afterlife." Hoshiko looked up at the lights.

"Now that's a way to travel." She said, Chakko laughed, and she laughed with him. "So, what do you know about the Northern Water Tribe?"

"Well, it's big." Chakko said, "And cold." Hoshiko smirked, "And there are plenty of water benders there."

"What about other Shinjuns?" She asked, Chakko looked down at her and his eyes met her hopeful blue eyes.

"Well, I've seen a few Shinjuns…" He said, "But they're all Polaris types, you know, bears and foxes and seals. Not really a whole lot of others, especially not refugees searching for a safe place from the fire nation."

"Oh…" Hoshiko murmured, turning her eyes to the sky again. Chakko looked down at her with pitiful eyes. He looked back to the sky and observed the lights.

"Do you have any friends in the North Pole?" He asked, Hoshiko shook her head.

"The only Shinjuns outside my tribe that I know of are a few desert-residing Reptilians." She said, Chakko nodded.

"I see…" He murmured, "So, when you get there, you have nowhere to stay, and no way to make any money?" Hoshiko shifted her weight nervously.

"I'll figure something out." She muttered. Chakko shook his head.

"If that were true, then your help wouldn't result in things getting worse than they were before." Chakko said laughingly. Hoshiko shot him a glare, but he didn't notice.

"I'm a shadow bender." Hoshiko told him, Chakko looked down at the young Shinjun, his eyes wide in shock, "And I'm a pretty damn good one."

"Well, that changes things…" He said, "A shadow bender… I never would've guessed." Hoshiko shrugged.

"I can't do it all that well on a ship, so I haven't bothered to use it." She said, "I'll use shadow bending to see if I can snag any jobs in the Northern Water Tribe." Chakko smiled, knowing what he could do.

"Hey, you know, I've got a buddy back home who could use some extra help." He told her, Hoshiko looked up at him, "He runs some stables in the city. I think he could use some help, and he'd be more than willing to help a refugee." Hoshiko smiled at him.

"You'd talk to him for me?" She asked hopefully.

Chakko nodded, "Sure. You need help, and I'd be glad to supply it." Hoshiko's smile grew.

"Thanks."

* * *

Hoshiko marveled at the gigantic, icy walls that bore the symbol of the water tribe. "Wow…" She breathed, "It's beautiful."

"Isn't it?" Shin-jii asked, Hoshiko turned to him, "Home sweet home." He looked out at the walls as they were opened for them with water bending, and helped them get into the city.

"Well hidden from the Fire nation, and stocked full of water benders." Hoshiko mused, "A good place to hide." Shin-jii nodded in agreement. "Do you have family here for you, Captain?"

"I do." He said, "A wife, and in a few months time, a child."

"Congratulations." Hoshiko said, "What will you name it?"

"If it's a boy, we're thinking of naming him Takashi." He said, "If it's a girl, we're thinking Mizuki, after my wife's mother." She nodded.

"Those are wonderful names." She said. The ship came to a dock and everyone began to carry off some of the cargo onto the snowy ground beneath them. Waiting for them was a man who was most likely in his late forties, with dark brown hair and beard to match. Shin-jii came up to him and bowed deeply. Hoshiko stood behind Shin-jii and was quiet as they exchanged words.

"Shin-jii, it is good to have you back." The man said, clapping Shin-jii's shoulder as he stood, "How did the Earth Kingdom treat you?"

"Very well, sir. Just as its waters did." Shin-jii replied, "I hope you don't mind, but I brought along some extra cargo with me on the way over." He looked at Hoshiko and gestured for her to come over, he placed his hand on her shoulder when she stood next to him, "This is Hoshiko, sir. An escaped slave of the Fire Nation."

Hoshiko bowed respectfully to the man, and he nodded back, "It's a pleasure, Miss Hoshiko. I am Arnook, Chief of the Northern Water Tribe."

"It is an honor to meet you, sir." Hoshiko said, "Thank you for allowing me to enter into your borders." The Chief smiled.

"It's no trouble. Anyone looking to escape the Fire Nation is welcome here." He said, "Although, most Shinjuns head to the Earth Kingdom than the Northern Water Tribe."

"Your people have survived one hundred years of war, sir." Hoshiko said, "I believe it's very safe here." She smiled sheepishly, "And I've always wanted to visit this place." The Chief laughed, and she did as well.

"Well, it's certainly a pleasure." He said, "We have other Shinjuns here, as well. I'm sure you will feel right at home soon enough."

"Thank you, sir." Hoshiko said.

"Hoshiko, I need to speak with the chief alone for a moment." Shin-jii said, "Why don't you get your things ready? I understand Chakko can set up a job for you."

"Yes, I'll go speak with him." Hoshiko said, leaving the two to converse. She walked over to Chakko, who she saw was embracing a young man happily. She waited until they had broken apart before she said anything. "Um, Chakko?"

"Oh, Hoshiko, hello." He said, his arm around the man's shoulders, "Sangook, this is Hoshiko. She came to escape the fire nation. Hoshiko, this is Sangook, my brother."

"It's nice to meet you." Hoshiko said, "Chakko, I know you just got back, but… About that job?"

"Oh! Yes, of course." Chakko said, he turned to his brother, "This will only be a moment." He nodded and walked away, waving goodbye. Chakko waved back and turned to Hoshiko, "My friend's name is Ping. His stables are just down that way." He pointed in the direction Sangook had left in, "Just cross two bridges, and when you get to the third, turn right and it should be there." Hoshiko nodded.

"I suppose that means I go without you, then?" She asked, Chakko gave an apologetic look.

"I have some more unloading to do." He said, "I'll meet you there, okay?" Hoshiko sighed.

"Sure." She started walking away. She followed the path Chakko's brother had taken and traveling across the bridge. She gazed down at the water as she crossed it. Then she looked up to the icy buildings around her. This was it. This was where she would stay until the war was over, or at least until the Fire nation tried to take this place as well. She knew one of the two would happen, eventually. For now, though, it's a safe haven.

She heard a shriek, which was quickly cut off. She turned her head in the direction she heard the sound. None of the humans around her seemed to notice it, but her hearing was better than most. Her black ears twitched as she closed her eyes, cocking her head to the side and trying to listen. She vaguely heard the sounds of a rough voice whispering something to someone. She couldn't make out the words. She heard a tiny, muffled shriek. She opened her eyes and let her ears lead the way as she quickly turned through an alley way between two buildings, running down the road they led to before coming to an empty part of the town. She saw most of it was rundown, and the snow from some of the buildings had collapsed, leaving the buildings lopsided.

She could very clearly hear the shrieks now. She quietly snuck past a building and stopped at a corner, where she could hear two voices speaking and leaned her back against the wall.

"This is way too easy!" One said, laughing.

"I know, how lucky is it that she's not a bender?" the other said, laughing with the first. "Now you just keep quiet, and this'll all be over quickly." She heard a muffled scream, then the sound of someone hitting someone else. "Shut up!" She leaned her head past the wall and saw two men in ratty water tribe clothes going after a pretty water tribe girl, who was obviously a noble, with snow-white hair. She understood what was happening now. She had been stolen from the streets for some reason because these men wanted to be pleasured by her, willing or not.

As quickly as she could, she made a shadow nearby rise up from the ground, and, using it like a whip, smacked both men on the backs of their heads to get their attention. It worked as they whirled around to see her standing there, glaring with every last drop of hate she could muster. They shared a glance before smiling and looking back at her.

"Well, lookie here." One said, "A little Shinjun's come to join the fun." Hoshiko looked back at the girl and tried to use her eyes to signal her to leave, but she didn't understand.

"You know, I dated a Shinjun once." The other said, "She wasn't as hot as she is," He pointed to Hoshiko, "But _damn!_ Was she a squealer! Turned me on like nobody's business." The other man looked at Hoshiko, and his smile widened.

"You think all Shinjun's are squealers?" He asked.

"I think we're gonna find out." The other said, his smile just as big. Hoshiko gulped nervously and got into her fighting stance. As the two men began to charge her, she brought up shadows that wrapped around them and pinned them to a wall. She turned to the girl, who was still where the men had left her.

"Go!" She yelled to her, "Run! Get out of here!" The girl did so, running as fast as she could from the scene. Hoshiko was suddenly met with an icy feeling as a giant stream of water pushed her back. Causing her to release the two men she had been holding, and slam against the wall opposite them. She looked up as they dusted themselves off, glaring heatedly at her. Hoshiko met their glares with one of her own, standing and getting into her stance.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" One of the men growled.

"Helping someone." Hoshiko said. She brought up three streams of inky black and had them strike at the two men like a viper attacking its prey. They defended against it by turning the snow around them into water and bringing it up like a shield. They used that same water to attack as they attempted to strike back, but she brought up her shadow and turned it into an orb-like shape in front of her and slid back as the water pushed her back a few feet.

The fight continued until it carried out into the streets. Hoshiko making small javelins and throwing them at the water benders. They would miss by a hair, or would be taken out by the water they were using. Eventually, the water benders made their own water-octopus. She did the same with her shadows, only the tentacles didn't look like tentacles, but more like pillars of black ink. They would strike again and again, shadow meeting water, then recoiling their attacks only to try again. Eventually, Hoshiko tried a different attack, where she stuck the end of one of her tentacles into the water, making it go though it all the way to the water bender. At the sudden pain of being sliced at his side, he fell, the water splashing around him. She attempted to do the same with the other one, but he began to bend the snow under her feet, making her lose her footing.

He brought the snow around her, trapping her in an icy cocoon and pinning her to the wall of the building behind her. He made it tighter and tighter around her, causing her to cry out in pain as she felt her joints pushing against her other joints. She heard the sound of marching and the snow fell from her. She went to her knees in relief as she gulped in breath after breath. She looked up to see the white haired girl had gone for help, coming back with a small platoon of six water tribe men, obviously warriors. She pointed to the man that had pinned her to the wall.

"That's him!" She exclaimed, "Arrest him!" She pointed to the other one as he got up, holding his side, "And him as well!"

"Yes, princess." The men said as they grabbed both of the men and walked away. She walked over to Hoshiko and offered her hand to her.

"Are you alright?" She asked, Hoshiko took her hand and offered a weak smile.

"More or less." She replied as she dusted some remnants of snow off of her, "How about yourself?"

"Perfectly fine, thanks to you." She said, Hoshiko wrapped her arms around herself and began to shiver, suddenly feeling cold, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Well, the snow _was_ pretty cold…" Hoshiko muttered. She felt the girl put her hand on her shoulder.

"Come, I'll take you to the healers." She said, Hoshiko nodded in thanks as she was led to a tent nearby, where an old woman waited with a few other water tribe women. She had Hoshiko explain her symptoms to her before she held out a bowl of water and bended a stream into the air. She placed the water at her chest, and Hoshiko felt her skin become warmer, almost as if someone had started a campfire, and she was sitting comfortably in the center of it. She exhaled happily as the cold left her. "Better?" the girl asked.

"Much." Hoshiko said, "Thank you for taking me here."

"Thank you for helping me." The girl replied, "Oh, I never got your name."

"Hoshiko." She answered, the girl's face beamed.

"Oh, how odd!" She almost squealed, "Doesn't hoshiko mean 'star?'" Hoshiko nodded, "My name is Princess Yue."

"But, yue means moon." Hoshiko said, the girl nodded. Hoshiko felt herself smile, "That _is_ strange!" She pointed to Yue, "A moon," She pointed to herself, "And a star!" the girls laughed. "Oh, wait, _Princess_ Yue? You're the tribe's princess?" Yue nodded.

"That's right." She said.

"I just met your father a few moments ago, Chief Arnook, right?" Yue nodded again. "We should probably take you to him, just so he knows you're safe."

* * *

"Where is my daughter?" Arnook shouted again, servants of the palace were scurrying around everywhere. "She has been gone for hours! WHERE IS SHE?"

"Father, I'm fine!" Yue called as she walked in, Hoshiko behind her. He calmed down the second he saw her. He strode across the room and embraced his daughter warmly.

"Where were you?" He asked worriedly, "You don't normally leave the palace for two hours without telling someone."

"I ran into some trouble." She admitted, "But Hoshiko saved me." She turned to Hoshiko with a bright smile, who smiled meekly back. Yue turned back to her father, "She spoke to me on the way here. She's in need of a job and a place to stay. Could we provide those for her here? At the palace?" Arnook looked down at his daughter, then at Hoshiko since for the first time since she entered the palace.

"I met you at the harbor." He said, approaching her, "You saved my daughter?" Hoshiko blushed shyly.

"I… suppose I did…" She mumbled. Arnook put his hands on her shoulders.

"Thank you." He said, "And I must agree with my daughter on the terms of getting you a job." He smiled, "I think it would be best if you were, perhaps, a… personal guard for Yue." He turned to the princess, "Is that good?" She smiled warmly and nodded. "Very well, then!" he turned back to Hoshiko, "Do you accept?"

"Yes sir!" Hoshiko said eagerly. This was good, she had made it to a safe place, she had gotten there in one piece, and now, she had a job.

This was good.


	2. The Northern Water Tribe

2

Two months had passed since then. News of the avatar's return reached the North Pole, and everyone became excited. Especially the princess when she noticed the avatar was heading northward "He must be coming here to learn water bending!" She would say. Hoshiko would smile and reply "Perhaps. We won't know until he gets where he's going."

She had met Master Pakku, who she didn't like at all at first, and vice versa. But they eventually built up a tolerance to each other to a point where they would simply nod in the other's direction should they ever cross the other's path. She learned about Yue's upcoming wedding, which was set two weeks after her 16th birthday. She had met Hahn once. She thought he was an arrogant little noble who needed to have his gigantic ego deflated.

She didn't come into contact with a lot of Yue's friends (mostly because she didn't have a whole lot, being a princess and all). Her job was simply to _guard_ the princess, not say hello to every person who says hi back. Yue had asked on multiple occasions about Hoshiko's past, and she told her a few things, but not everything. It was common knowledge for most people in the world that Shinjuns are slaves in the Fire nation, so she told her that.

Hoshiko's room was across from the princess's, for security purposes, and because she and Yue had become good friends. They were happy, having their friend in such close contact when they needed them. Sometimes, when Yue needed to talk to someone, she would walk across the hall and confide different things in Hoshiko, which she didn't tell anyone unless the princess said otherwise. Hoshiko would do the same, but she made sure she was awake before she entered the room, instead of hastily knocking on the door while the other was asleep, like Yue would do if Hoshiko's luck was bad.

She sometimes got letters from Xana occasionally, but the time between getting them was very long, mostly because the birds carrying them had to fly from the Earth Kingdom to the North Pole. But when she did get them, she would learn about Xana's travels and anything interesting that had happened during them. She laughed out loud when she read that Xana had met a man who was crazy, she figured that out when he insulted the tree he had been sitting under.

Today, she was waiting on the princess, who was readying to go on a gondola ride around the city. She tapped her gloved fingers impatiently against the arm of her parka (She had been given proper clothes to wear in the freezing cold) as she leaned against the wall of the hall she was in. The door opened and the princess stepped out.

"Finally!" Hoshiko huffed, "You take forever, you know that?"

Yue giggled, "Hoshiko, you must know by now that I enjoy preparing my appearance for everyone." Hoshiko sighed and scratched at the back of her head.

"I know that, I'm just not used to it." She said, both girls laughed a little, "Alright, c'mon, let's get to that gondola." She stopped, "Oh! And before I forget." Hoshiko rummaged through her pocket and pulled something out. Yue gazed at a bracelet with a small plate that had a drawing of a crescent moon, and inside the crescent was a white star. "Happy birthday, Princess."

"Oh, Hoshiko!" Yue exclaimed, "It's lovely!" Hoshiko hooked the bracelet on her wrist, "Where did you find it?"

"I talked with someone down at the market and got a deal on it." Hoshiko said, "It reminded me of when we first met. Remember? You were the moon, and I was a star." Yue laughed at the memory.

"It seems so long ago…" She said, "Thank you, Hoshiko. It's a wonderful gift." Hoshiko smiled.

"Glad you like it." Hoshiko replied, "Now! Let's get moving!"

* * *

Sokka stared out at the blue waves of the arctic sea as Appa flew only a few feet above the water, he huffed out some air before he spoke, "I'm not one to complain, but can't Appa fly any higher?" Appa's foot brushed against some water before he floated back up.

"I have an idea," Aang began, turning around, "Why don't we all get on _your_ back and _you_ can fly us to the North Pole!"

"I'd _love_ to!" Sokka growled back, "Climb on everyone!" He pointed his thumb at his back and began shaking his butt, "Sokka's ready for take-off!" He glared at Momo when he took the invitation.

"Look," Katara started, "We're all just a little tired and cranky because we've been flying for two days straight."

"And for what?" Sokka asked, "We can't even find the Northern Water Tribe! There's nothing up here." As if to agree with him, Appa let out a low grunt. The group heard a splashing sound and was suddenly met with an iceberg that rose up out of the water and froze in front of them. Aang let out a surprised scream and swerved Appa to avoid it, the sudden swing making Katara and Sokka hang onto the saddle for their lives. Another iceberg came up and nicked Appa's foot. They spun out and landed in the water, where ice froze around them to hold them there as multiple gondolas came out of the icebergs surrounding them, all of them carrying men in Water Tribe style clothing.

"They're water benders!" Katara exclaimed, "We found the Water Tribe!"

* * *

As the group rode with the water benders, they came upon a giant, icy wall with the symbol of the Water Tribe carved into it. "There it is!" Aang exclaimed, pointing to the wall.

"The Northern Water Tribe…" Katara breathed, looking at the wall.

"We're finally here." Sokka said. The water benders bended the ice of the wall down into the water to allow a tunnel for them to go through. They did so and were amazed at the four walls surrounding the entrance, each one was manned by at least four water benders, and they melted the ice around them to make the water level rise so they'd be able to swim through the rivers that went through the city.

"I can't believe how many water benders live up here!" Katara said, waving to the water benders that had let them in.

"We'll find a master to teach us, no problem!" Aang said, directing Appa through the waterways, following the gondola leading them to the palace. They waved at the spectators who were looking down at them, murmuring excitedly about the visit of the avatar. As they passed under a bridge, they went by a white gondola, where a Shinjun girl with black hair, black ears, crystal blue eyes, and a black tail was sitting behind a pretty water tribe girl with long white hair and sapphire blue eyes. Sokka only noticed the white haired girl and stared after her dreamily, running to the end of Appa's tail to keep looking at her.

"This place is beautiful." Katara said, gazing at the buildings and bridges they passed by.

"Yeah, she is…" Sokka murmured back, still staring at the white haired girl.

* * *

"What did I tell you?" Yue exclaimed excitedly as she fixed her hair, "Did I not say he was coming here?"

"Okay, okay, I get it." Hoshiko said, laughing a little from her place on the princess's bed, "You were right, you were right." Yue turned her attention back to her vanity, "And on your birthday, nonetheless. Talk about exciting."

"Isn't it?" Yue said, "This is wonderful, father's preparing an entire feast for us." Hoshiko quirked an eyebrow.

"'Us'?" She questioned.

"Yes, me and the avatar." Yue said, "These are times for great celebration!" Hoshiko smiled.

"Yes, they certainly are." She agreed, "Almost finished?"

"Almost…" She pulled one of her braids into its appropriate holder at the end and turned back around to Hoshiko, "Okay, I'm done." Hoshiko got up.

"Then let's get a move on, birthday-girl!" She said, walking beside her as they went to the banquet hall, where Chief Arnook had just begun a speech.

"Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of our brother and sister from the Southern Tribe," He gestured to Katara and Sokka, who smiled at the crowd at the banquet, "And they have brought with them someone very special." He continued, "Someone who many of us believed disappeared from the world until now. The avatar!" He gestured to Aang and the crowd cheered. He smiled sheepishly and waved at them. "We also celebrate my daughter's 16th birthday." He gestured to Yue as she walked up, Hoshiko beside her, "Princess Yue is now of marrying age!" Sokka gaped at her, recognizing her from the gondola ride on the way in.

"Thank you, Father." Yue said, "May the great Ocean and Moon spirits watch over us during these troubled times!" She said, turning to the crowd.

"Now, Master Pakku and his students will perform!" Arnook said, waving his hand towards Pakku and his two students. Music began to play and they lifted the water out of three vases and made the two outer streams swirl around the one in the middle. The crowd applauded. They swirled the water around themselves before turning it into one gigantic stream, circling the three of them. Aang and Katara shared a knowing look, they had found their water bending master.

As Yue went to sit down beside Sokka, Hoshiko noticed the Southern Water Tribe boy was stuffing his face, but stopped once Yue sat next to him. He wiped his hands on his parka before turning to her with a smile. "Hi there." He greeted coolly, "Sokka, Southern Water Tribe." Hoshiko stood back and leaned against a nearby pillar, thinking _this oughta be good_.

"Very nice to meet you." Yue said, bowing towards him. They looked away from each other, not knowing what to say and sat there awkwardly. Hoshiko almost rolled her eyes at the sight.

"So, uh…" Sokka began, "…You're a princess! Huh." Yue nodded her head, "You know, back in my tribe, I'm kind of like a prince myself."

Katara snorted in laughter, "Prince of what?" She asked.

"A lot of things!" Sokka retorted, turning on her, "Do you mind? I'm trying to have a conversation, here!"

"My apologies, Prince Sokka." Katara said in a mockingly-respectful voice and bowing low. Hoshiko snickered. She was obviously his sister. Sokka gave her a disgruntled look before turning back to the princess.

"So, it looks like I'm gonna be in town for a while." He said, "I'm thinking maybe we could… Do an activity together?" His voice cracked at the last part.

"'Do an _activity_'?" Yue repeated, trying to contain her giggles. Sokka blushed, embarrassed, before he stuffed two more pieces of food in his mouth, swallowing, and coughing to clear his throat. Trying to recover from what he said.

"Very smooth." Katara said, smirking at him. Hoshiko rolled her eyes and saw the tattooed monk walk over to her. She glanced sideways at him, raising an eyebrow at his tattoos, and he just stared at her, his grey eyes wide in curiosity. Watching him stare at her was a bit unnerving, so she shifted her weight and turned her head towards him.

"Paint a portrait, it'll last longer." She growled, the monk jumped at her voice and smiled sheepishly at her, blushing shamefully.

"Sorry." He muttered, he walked closer to her and smiled at her, "I'm Aang."

"Nice to meet you, avatar." Hoshiko said, bowing respectfully and he bowed back, "My name is Hoshiko. I am the private guard to Princess Yue." She leaned against the pillar again.

"Oh, then why aren't you eating?" Aang asked, gesturing to the empty spot beside Yue. "There's a spot right there. Isn't that your spot?"

"No." Hoshiko answered, "I already ate dinner, I don't need to eat it again." She shrugged, "That spot's open to whoever wants it now."

"Oh…" Aang said, he looked away awkwardly, unsure of what to say, "Um… I'm just… Gonna… Go talk to Master Pakku." Hoshiko waved half-heartedly as he walked away.

"Okay, bye." She said. She looked back at Yue, who was enjoying her meal. She kept noticing her eyes wandering to the boy next to her. She smiled slightly at the sight, it seemed the princess just might have a little crush.

After about an hour, the princess excused herself and Hoshiko followed. She quickly met her pace and walked alongside her. "Going to bed?"

"Yes." She answered, "I'm surprised Hahn didn't come."

"I'm not." Hoshiko answered, "Honestly, I'm glad that prick didn't come."

"Hoshiko!" Yue scolded, "Don't say that! Hahn may not be the person you like the most, but that's no reason to call him… _That_!" Hoshiko looked away.

"You don't like him, either." She said, Yue turned away from her, a pained look on her face. When Hoshiko saw her face, she started apologizing, "Sorry. I forgot about the whole marriage thing for a second." Yue turned to her with a sad smile.

"It's alright, Hoshiko." She said. They had reached their rooms and Yue bowed to Hoshiko, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Princess." Hoshiko said, bowing in return. The princess walked into her room and shut the door while Hoshiko went to her room and began to prepare for bed. Before she could close the door, however, she saw a servant boy running towards her, asking her to wait. She opened the door a little wider and looked at the servant boy as he stopped in front of her.

"Chief Arnook asked me to give you this." He said, handing her a scroll. She took it and opened it. Groaning at the request written inside.

* * *

Aang petted Momo's head affectionately before looking over at Katara with an excited look on his face. They were both going to be trained by Master Pakku, a necessity for Aang, and a dream come true for Katara. They opened the door to the icy guest house they had been given, and found a dark-haired, tired-looking Shinjun girl waiting outside. Aang recognized her right away.

"Hoshiko!" Katara looked at the young air bender.

"You know her?" She asked him. He looked up at his water bending friend.

"I met her last night, she's the private guard to Princess Yue." He said, he turned back to the irritated Shinjun, "What're you doing here?"

"I'm here to escort you to Master Pakku." She said, holding out a scroll with a symbol imprinted on it, "Chief's orders." She looked at the monk, then at the water tribe girl, and saw no one else was there. "I thought you were taking a friend to take lessons with you."

"I am." Aang said, he gestured to Katara, "She's learning, too." Hoshiko's eyebrows rose.

"I didn't know that Pakku…" She trailed shaking her head, "Never mind, I barely understand that old man, anyway. Come on, I'll take you to him." She led them onto a pathway that would lead to the cliff outside the palace where Master Pakku taught water bending. She listened to their conversation as they spoke.

"I've waited for this day my whole life!" The water tribe girl said, "I finally get to learn from a _real_ water bending master!" Hoshiko looked over to the girl, who noticed her stare, "What?"

"Don't they have water bending masters in the Southern Tribe?" She asked, the girl shook her head.

"No, I'm the only water bender there, the rest were taken by the Fire nation." She said sadly, Hoshiko's eyes narrowed and she turned her attention to the pathway again.

"Figures." She muttered, "They can't get enough from destroying one civilization, so they move on to another one." Aang looked at her curiously.

"What do you mean?" He asked, "I know they hurt the water tribe and already took parts of the Earth kingdom, but…"

"She's talking about the Shinjun tribe, Aang." The girl whispered, "The Fire nation took out any Shinjun tribe they could. Turning a lot of them into slaves." She gazed at Hoshiko sadly, "I wouldn't be surprised if she was one."

"You're right." Hoshiko said, startling her, "I was." She turned so she could see her clearly, "And then I escaped." She brought them up the steps and they saw Master Pakku bending a stream of water.

"Good morning, Master Pakku!" Aang shouted, Hoshiko winced at the volume of his voice and Pakku's water splashed to the snow beneath him.

"No, please, march right in. I'm not _concentrating_ or anything." Pakku said sarcastically. He turned and saw Hoshiko with the avatar, "Hoshiko. I didn't expect to see you up before noon." She glared stiffly at him, her ears hooding backwards and her tail swinging viciously, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.

"Bite me, old man." She growled, showing her elongated canines. Pakku said nothing as he glared back at her, standing his ground against the irritated Shinjun.

"Uh… This is my friend, Katara." Aang said, trying to ease the tension in the air. "The one I told you about?" Katara bowed respectfully to him, and he looked at the avatar before looking back at Katara, a displeased expression on his permanently sour face.

"I'm sorry, I think there's been a misunderstanding." He said, bending a seat for himself out of ice. "You didn't tell me your friend was a girl. In our tribe, it is forbidden for women to learn water bending."

"Oh, so you're not teaching girls." Hoshiko thought aloud, "For a second, I thought you were going against the traditions you value so much." He sent the Shinjun a dry look, which she stood her ground at.

"What do you mean you won't teach me?" Katara demanded angrily, walking towards the water bending master angrily. Aang reached out to stop her, but decided against it. "I didn't travel across the entire world so you could tell me 'no'!"

"No." Master Pakku said firmly.

"But there must be other female water benders in your tribe!" Katara said.

"Here, the women learn from Yagoda to use their water bending to _heal_." Pakku said, "I'm sure she would be happy to take you as her student, despite your bad attitude."

"I don't wanna heal, I wanna fight!" Katara declared.

"I can see that." Pakku replied, "But our tribe has customs. Rules."

"Well, your rules stink!" Katara retorted.

"Yeah, they're not fair!" Aang said, standing beside his friend, "If you won't teach Katara, then…"

"Then what?" Pakku asked, standing.

"Then I won't learn from you!" Aang declared as he stalked away. Hoshiko looked after him with wide eyes. Wasn't it kind of essential for the avatar to learn water bending?

"Well, have fun teaching yourself." Pakku said, "I'm sure you'll do a great job!"

"Wait! Aang didn't mean that." Katara said as she rushed over to Aang, "You can't risk your training for me. You _have_ to learn from Master Pakku. Even if he is a big jerk." At this they both sent a glare to the old master before facing each other again. Aang nodded grudgingly and turned back to the master.

"Why don't we get started then?" Pakku said with a victorious grin on his face before he blasted a wave of water at Aang, who was shot back from it. Hoshiko followed after Katara as she stiffly walked down the stairs.

"Hey! Girl!" She called after her, "Wait up!" Katara whirled around and glared at her.

"My name isn't _girl_!" She said, "It's Katara!" Hoshiko flinched back.

"Okay, okay." She said, holding her hands up in defense, "Sorry." Katara kept walking down the stairs and Hoshiko followed after her, "Jeez, you're supposed to mad at Pakku, not me." Katara took a deep breath and looked back at the Shinjun, slightly calmer.

"Sorry." She said, "It just makes me so mad…!"

"Look, I know it's unfair." Hoshiko said, "But that's just how things work in this place. Everything runs off of tradition, rules, and politics. It's not fair a lot of times, but you learn to live with it." She put a hand on the young water bender's shoulder in comfort, "You have to bear things you don't want to, but that's just how life is sometimes. Believe me, I know, slavery's not fun." Katara looked back at the Shinjun sadly. "Now, may I escort you to Yagoda's healing hut?" Katara nodded her head and removed Hoshiko's hand from her shoulder.

"Yes, thank you." Katara said, Hoshiko smiled warmly at her and lead her to the hut.

* * *

Hoshiko led Katara into an ice hut. Inside a woman sat on a platform in front of a wooden dummy. She moved the water through the carved paths in it, the carved paths representing the points of flow for chi. Katara walked in front of Hoshiko, who raised her hand at the old woman on the platform, "Um, hi…" She greeted, "Are you Yagoda?"

"Are you here for the healing lesson?" Yagoda asked. Katara looked around at her students, all of them girls who were just a few years younger than her. She looked down sadly.

"I guess I am." Katara said, walking over and sitting down.

"Welcome!" Yagoda greeted, she looked up and noticed Hoshiko, "Oh, Hoshiko! What brings you by?"

"I was just escorting her here, Miss Yagoda." Hoshiko said, she bowed respectfully, "Nothing more. Good day to you."

"Good day." Yagoda said as Hoshiko left. She went on the pathway back to the palace, hoping that Yue wouldn't mind her being so late.

As she walked by the courtyard, she saw Aang bending a stream of water in front of Master Pakku, who was bending the water in his octopus noodles. The water Aang bent was wiggling and shaking much more than it should have been. Hoshiko's keen ears picked up on the words that were spoken.

"You're moving the water _around_, but you're not feeling the _push_ and _pull_." Pakku said.

"I'm… Trying!" Aang grunted as he bent the water into a misshapen circle. Pakku slurped some of his noodles, looking over at the struggling avatar.

"Maybe that move is too advanced for you." Pakku mused aloud, "Why don't you try an easier one?" Aang threw the water down into the snow and let out an irritated growl. Hoshiko rolled her eyes at the sight, thinking, _Stupid old man._

* * *

"You did _what?_"

"Is it really that bad?" Yue asked, looking up at her with a confused face from her vanity seat. "I only accepted his invitation." Hoshiko groaned and grabbed her hair by the roots, something she only did when she was very frustrated or distraught.

"_Yes!_ Yue, you like the guy, I get it, but think about this for two seconds!" She said, "You are engaged! _Engaged_! To another man! Yes, this man is a total loser and a complete pri-"

"_Hoshiko!_"

"Sorry, but you're still engaged to him!" Hoshiko said, "I mean, I'm all for being together out of love, but when you're engaged to another man… Well… It's just… Wrong!" She looked at Yue apologetically, "Plus, if your dad found out I'd let you fall in love with someone who wasn't Hahn, I might just get fired from this job and never see you again." Yue saddened at the thought, "I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to see him."

"Try and stop me!" Yue said, rising from her seat, Hoshiko jumped back in shock, she had never seen Yue get mad before, much less at her. Yue calmed herself at the sight of Hoshiko's expression, before sighing and looking up at her with pleading eyes, "It is only one night, Hoshiko. Please, indulge me just this once." Hoshiko narrowed her eyes at her, but not in a threatening way, more in a contemplating way.

"You get one hour, that's it." Hoshiko said, "After that, I'll come and get you, understand?" Yue nodded.

"Yes, thank you, Hoshiko." Hoshiko bowed before she began to walk out of the room, talking about attending to some business, when the door opened, revealing Hahn to the girls. Hahn was a tall boy, with a strong chin, sharp blue eyes, plenty of muscles for a boy his size, and honestly, very good looking. Any girl would be swooning at the sight, but Hoshiko and Yue knew better. Hahn was self-obsessed and loved himself more than anyone else. He smiled at Hoshiko before he turned to Yue and spoke.

"Princess, you're looking marvelous, as always." He greeted, Yue nodded stiffly.

"Hello, Hahn." She said. Hahn held up a necklace, obviously carved, to her.

"Congratulations on turning sixteen." He said, "This is your present from me: your betrothal necklace." He walked over and placed it around her neck, "I carved it myself. What do you think?"

"It's lovely, Hahn, thank you." Yue said, touching the necklace and looking at herself in her vanity mirror. Hahn turned his eyes to Hoshiko and smirked, Yue didn't catch it, but Hoshiko did, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Hoshiko, would you be willing to escort me back to my home?" He asked, his smirk still on his face as he turned to her. Hoshiko glared, wanting to say no, but Yue answered for her.

"Yes, Hoshiko, please be so kind as to escort Hahn back." She said, sounding something like an order. Hoshiko nodded once, bowing to the princess.

"As you wish, princess." She said, she looked back at Hahn, "Come, Lord Hahn, I'll escort you home." Hahn nodded, following the Shinjun out.

They walked down the halls in silence, Hahn waiting for Hoshiko to say something, and Hoshiko wanting to get Hahn home as fast as possible without speaking to him. Hahn eventually broke the silence and spoke. "You know, you look wonderful today."

"Yes, Lord Hahn." Hoshiko said, sounding bored.

"I mean it, you must be one of the most lovely Shinjuns I ever had the pleasure of seeing." Hahn continued, obviously trying to get something out of her.

"Yes, Lord Hahn." Hoshiko repeated.

"It really makes me wonder… Relationships between humans and Shinjuns are possible, right?" Hoshiko snapped her head to Hahn, seeing him smirking at her and being serious at the same time.

"What are you suggesting exactly, Lord Hahn?" She asked, wary of him. He leaned closer to her face.

"I love it when you call me 'Lord.'" He said in a hushed voice. Hoshiko's eyes widened and she took a step back.

"Lord Hahn, you are engaged to the princess!" Hoshiko said, trying to keep her language level in front of such an important political figure. Hahn took a larger step closer to her, so his body was flush against hers. He grabbed hold of her arms so she couldn't back away.

"That doesn't mean we can't have a little fun…" He said, leaning closer to her face. When his lips were about to touch hers, she wrenched her arm free and pushed him away.

"You're sick!" Hoshiko said, storming off from him, "Get home on your own, sleaze-bag!" He looked after the Shinjun as she trudged angrily down the halls. His eyes never leaving her swaying behind as she walked.

* * *

Hoshiko looked at the message she was given by the chief, her eyebrow twitching in irritation. "Bringing the avatar his dinner?" She mumbled to herself. "Seems I'm getting demoted every day…" She shook her head and went down to the kitchen, taking the tray of food from a servant and walking down to the guest hut where the avatar and his friends were staying. She stopped in front of the door and cleared her throat, "Avatar, I've brought you your dinner." The door opened and she saw Aang open it, she nodded at him and walked in, seeing Katara was there as well.

"Hi Hoshiko." Katara greeted sadly, Hoshiko nodded at her and smiled.

"Hello." Hoshiko greeted, she walked over to a small table near where the beds had been set up, "How did the healing lesson go, Katara?"

"It went fine." She replied. Hoshiko nodded, setting the tray down on the table. The door to the hut opened and the Water Tribe boy called Sokka came in, looking upset.

"Hey Sokka." Katara greeted, "How's warrior training going?" Sokka kicked a bag on the floor and fell to his knees before lying on his stomach, his arms and head resting on the bag he had kicked.

"That bad?" Aang asked.

"No, it's Princess Yue." Sokka said, Hoshiko froze, "I don't get it. One minute, she wants to go out with me, and the next, she's telling me to get lost." Hoshiko looked over at the group as they continued to speak, "So how's water bending training?" Katara did the same thing Sokka did, falling on her knees and lying on her stomach on top of her sleeping bag, burying her head in her arms under the hood of her parka.

"Master Poop-head won't teach her because she's a girl." Aang said. Hoshiko smirked at the name he came up with for him.

"Why don't you just teach her, Aang?" Sokka suggested.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Katara exclaimed, a smile on her face as she stood, "At night, you can teach me whatever moves you learn from Master Pakku. That way, you have someone to practice with, and I get to learn water bending! Everyone's happy!"

"I'm not happy." Sokka said.

"But you're never happy." Katara retorted, "Come on, Aang." Hoshiko tried to call out after them.

"Uh, Katara, that's not such a-" She was cut off when the door shut, "…Good idea…" She sighed, rubbing her face with her hand. She pulled her hand down and looked to see Sokka staring at her, "What?"

"Who are you, exactly?" He asked, Hoshiko stood.

"I'm Hoshiko, private guard to Princess Yue, and the person who brought your dinner." She gestured to the tray behind her, "Enjoy."

"Not hungry." Sokka grunted, Hoshiko shrugged as she walked to the door.

"Fine, whatever, I don't care." She said, before she opened the door, she hesitated, turning around to see Sokka glaring at the wall. _Did Yue dump him because of what I said?_ Whether or not this was true, she still felt guilty for it. "You know, Sokka," He looked over at her, "Yue does like you. She's just… in a complicated position right now." He raised an eyebrow at her before she turned and left the hut.

* * *

Hoshiko walked past the princess's room and hesitated before knocking on her door. "Yue? Are you in there?" She heard only silence, "I'm coming in." She slowly opened the door and found the princess sulking in her vanity chair, staring listlessly at the floor beneath her. Her hair was out of its holder and unbraided, it traveled all the way down to her hip when it was down. Hoshiko looked at the princess warily, "Princess Yue?"

She looked up at her, Yue's sapphire eyes filled with unshed tears. Hoshiko suddenly felt sympathy wash over her, "Oh, Yue…" She pulled the princess into a hug, which she readily welcomed, sobbing into her shoulder. Hoshiko rubbed the princess's back soothingly as she cried, murmuring comforting words. She finally calmed down to a point where she was able to speak calmly, though her tears still ran down her face, "Yue, what is it? What happened?"

"I thought about what you said." Yue said, wiping away some tears which were quickly replaced, "You were right. I shouldn't be with him if I'm engaged to another. So I told him it was a mistake to ask him to come here, and I came back." She kept wiping some more tears, "I don't know why, but I'm so upset…" Hoshiko pulled the princess back into another hug.

"Oh, Yue…" She murmured, "You really love this boy, don't you?" Yue nodded silently, "You poor thing. I feel your pain, I really do." Yue looked up at the Shinjun with a questioning gaze, "A few years ago, there was a new family that came to my tribe. A Polaris family, just a pair of parents and their son. I became friends with him, and it eventually became something more," Hoshiko put her hand over her heart, "It wasn't like we were in love, but we had a strong bond. To make it so we never lost one another, we pledged ourselves to each other. Our parents agreed to the pledge, and we had the tribe chief perform the ceremony to make it so. He is my 半分魂 _hanbun tamashi _and his soul shall remain forever intertwined with mine, and that is how he shall remain until I die."

"Where is he now?" Yue asked, Hoshiko shook her head sadly.

"I don't know." She said, "The last time I saw him was two years ago, when I was being sold at the slave market in the Fire nation. I haven't seen him since." Yue pulled her friend into a hug much like she had done for her. "I don't even know if he's alive anymore. But if he is, he has left with half of my soul, and I shall forever keep his." A lone tear slid down her cheek.

"That's terrible, Hoshiko." Yue said, "I don't know if I could live with myself, knowing someone I love was dead." Hoshiko gently pulled away from her.

"There is always the hope he's still alive." Hoshiko said, "And that's what keeps me going. I'm sorry about what I said about you and Sokka. If you want to be with him, I won't stop you. Just promise you'll take the blame for it." Yue laughed lightly at her small joke.

"I promise." She said, she took Hoshiko's hands and helped her up. "We should probably get to bed, huh?"

"Yeah, we probably should." Hoshiko said, smiling. She took her hands back and bowed to the princess, "Goodnight, Princess." Yue did the same bow.

"Goodnight, Hoshiko." She said.

Hoshiko walked toward the door, stopping before she exited, "…Princess?" Yue turned to Hoshiko, "Could you… Not tell anyone about this? It's kind of a private thing." Yue gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Yue promised. Hoshiko nodded gratefully and left to her room.

* * *

Hoshiko gazed at the avatar and his friends as Katara was explaining the situation to Chief Arnook and the tribe elders after she had been caught water bending by Pakku when he went out on one of his moonlight walks. Hoshiko leaned against a pillar as Katara spoke.

"What do you want me to do?" Arnook asked, "Force Master Pakku to take Aang back as his student?"

"Yes!… Please." Katara said.

"I suspect he might change his mind, if you _swallow your pride_ and _apologize_ to him." Arnook growled out, obviously insulted by her going against their cultures. Katara looked back at Aang before turning to Pakku.

"Fine." She grumbled. Pakku smirked victoriously.

"I'm waiting, little girl." He taunted. Katara's fists clenched and she glared at the old man.

"No." She said firmly, "_No way_ am I _apologizing_ to a _sour old man __**like you**_!" In her rage, Katara's water bending caused cracks in the icy floor, and caused the vases near them to burst from the water's movement.

"Uh, Katara?" Aang questioned, trying to get her to calm down.

"I'll be outside if you're man enough to fight me!" Katara challenged. Yue gasped and covered her mouth in shock. Hoshiko's eyes widened and her ears pricked up as high as they could go. Was she serious? Katara stalked out of the throne room, everyone's gaze following her.

"I'm sure she didn't mean that." Aang said, trying to assuage their fears about her statement.

"Yeah, I think she did." Sokka said, confirming their fears. Hoshiko stood from her place against the pillar and followed Aang and Sokka outside as Katara stalked down the stairs. She heard Yue following her, but she didn't respond to her. She listened as Sokka and Aang tried to convince Katara out of this fight.

"Are you crazy, Katara?" Sokka asked, "You're not gonna win this fight!"

"I know!" Katara said, taking off her parka and throwing it at him. "I don't care!"

"You don't have to do this for me." Aang said, "I can find another teacher."

"I'm not doing it for you!" Katara said, "Someone needs to slap some sense into that guy." They all looked up as Pakku came down the stairs outside the palace, "So, you decided to show up?" Pakku said nothing as he walked right past her. "Aren't you gonna fight?"

"Go back to the healing huts with the other women where you belong." Pakku said. Katara gritted her teeth in anger, using her bending, she made a small stream of icy water come from the snow and turned it into a whip, which she used to hit Master Pakku in the back of the head. Hoshiko couldn't help the smirk across her face when she saw the angered face of Pakku. "Fine, you want to learn to fight so bad?" Pakku asked, a dangerous smirk coming on his face, "Study closely!"

He brought up the water from two nearby wells, making them form a watery circle. Katara ran at him from the side, but Pakku knocked her back with the water. He surrounded them both in a vortex of water, threatening to swat Katara like a fly.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." Pakku said, this obviously came as an insult to Katara, as she knocked the water away with her own bending, sending it straight at Sokka by accident, knocking him back by six feet. When Katara began to run at him again, he made a wall of ice in the shape of a high wave. She slid over it and landed on the post at the end of a snowy staircase, she stumbled a bit on her landing, but she didn't fall. Pakku used the water from his ice wall to try and push her off, but Katara bent the ice on the end of the post she stood on around her feet, making so she wouldn't fall off as she deflected the water.

She looked at him defiantly as she declared, "You can't knock me down!" There was a sound of cheers as she said this, Aang yelling, "Go Katara!" She ran at him again, but she was faster this time, making Pakku have less time to make a sturdier wall of ice, which she quickly melted away. She punched at him a few times, each one being blocked before Pakku sent a stream of water at her, knocking her into one of the wells. He smirked victoriously, thinking she would give up, but as she came up from the water, she made a small pillar of ice. She sent a paper thin, razor sharp circle of ice at him from the pillar again and again, Pakku breaking a few and dodging one that went right by him.

Children cheered at the sight, while a few nobles watched in shock. Katara bent a stream of water at Pakku, hoping it would knock him down, but he caught it and maneuvered it so it made a small wave that knocked Katara over as she tried to run at him again. Katara got up after a deep breath, her hair was slightly disheveled and sticking out of her braid. She used her water bending to make the two pillars of snow near him topple down, but Pakku used his bending to turn them into snowflakes before they hit him, making a small cloud of white over his head as the snowflakes fell.

"Well, I'm impressed." He said to her, "You are an excellent water bender."

"But you still won't teach me, will you?" Katara asked.

"No." Pakku replied. Katara brought up a small wave of water at him and turned it into ice. Pakku avoided it by making a wide pillar of ice to jump over it, which he used as something of a way to slide to her using his bending. Katara bent another stream at him, which he deflected and froze to the side of her, he slid on it and knocked her aside hard enough to make her necklace fall off. Pakku jumped onto the edge of a well and looked at Katara, her hair now completely undone and let down from the fight. She tried to catch her breath before she stood, but Pakku was faster, making the water in the well he stood on fly up and freeze into icicles that imprisoned her.

Katara tried to wriggle her way out of the ice, but to no avail. "This fight is over!" Pakku declared as he walked away.

"Come back here!" Katara shouted, "I'm not finished yet!"

"Yes, you are." Pakku said, stopping when he almost stepped on Katara's necklace. His eyes widened as he picked it up. "This is my necklace…" He breathed.

"No it's not, it's mine!" Katara yelled, "Give it back!"

"I made this sixty years ago…" Pakku said, gazing at the jewelry, "For the love of my life…" He looked up sadly as the icicles around Katara were turned into water again and splashed against the ground, "For Kana…"

"My Gran Gran was supposed to marry _you_?" Katara asked softly.

"I carved this necklace for your grandmother when we got engaged." Pakku said, "I thought we would have a long, happy life together…" He gazed back down at the necklace, "…I loved her."

"But she didn't love you, did she?" Katara asked, Pakku looked over at her, his eyes the saddest Hoshiko had ever seen, "It was an arranged marriage." Hoshiko saw the princess tear up. "Gran Gran wouldn't let your tribe's stupid customs run her life." Katara walked over to Pakku, "That's why she left." Pakku held the necklace to his heart, "It must've taken a lot of courage." That comment was what did it. Yue couldn't help herself as she started to sob, running away from them. Sokka, Aang, Hoshiko, and Arnook looked after her as she ran. Hoshiko turned to Sokka, who noticed her staring and smiled at him.

"Go get her." She told him. He didn't need to be told twice as he ran after Yue. Hoshiko looked over at Aang with a knowing look, and he sent it right back, "Think they'll be okay?"

"Yeah, Sokka's a good guy, they'll be fine." Aang replied. Hoshiko looked back to Pakku and Katara, who were speaking.

"Perhaps she did the right thing." Pakku said, "And maybe I have been a bit… _strict_ on our tribe's customs. You are a fantastic water bender, and with my teachings, you will become an excellent one."

"Are… you saying that you'll teach me?" Katara asked.

"I am." Pakku said, "I will see you at sunrise." He handed the necklace back to Katara and walked away. Hoshiko crossed her arms and smirked.

"Well, Pakku's icy heart seems to have finally melted." Hoshiko mused humorously. "Good thing, too. I was really starting to contemplate sticking an even _bigger_ stick up his ass." Aang let out a startled snort in laughter, Hoshiko laughing with him a moment later.

* * *

Hoshiko awoke with a start, breathing heavily and covered in a thin sheet of sweat. She had the nightmare again. She pressed her palms against her eyes, trying to rid herself of the last remnants bit of her nightmare. She hadn't had it since she arrived at the Northern Water Tribe, she had forgotten how terrible it was. She looked outside her window to see it was past sunrise. She got up and looked out the window to see Master Pakku training his students, having Aang do a water bending move. When he finished, he looked to Master Pakku for approval.

"Not bad, not bad." Pakku chuckled, "Keep practicing and maybe you'll get it by the time you're my age!" Aang scowled and looked away. They heard the footsteps of someone arriving and Hoshiko saw Katara running up the stairs to where they were training.

"Hey Katara!" Aang greeted cheerily.

"What do you think you're doing?" Pakku asked sternly, Katara looked up at him, "It's past sunrise," He smiled, "You're late." He made a stance for his students to copy and Katara and Aang did so.

"Good to see you here." Aang said.

"You too." Katara replied. Pakku went on to teach his students and Hoshiko ignored them as she tried to go back to sleep. For some reason, she couldn't help this sinking feeling in her gut that something big was going to happen, but she wasn't sure what.


	3. The Siege of the North: Part 1

3

Hoshiko looked up as the sound of flapping came from her window, she smiled when she was it was a white messenger hawk. She went over and took the scroll from its holder, seeing an insignia of a winged serpent on the outside. She opened the scroll and read the message from Xana.

_Hoshi,_

_Great news! I finally found a way to Ba-Sing-Se that doesn't _

_involve trekking dangerous deserts and running into my family _

_members. At least, according to these Water Tribe soldiers I ran into._

_They're pretty cool, one in particular, named Bato, he's a pretty _

_awesome guy. He showed me these amazing new sword techniques_

_I can't wait to try out. He said he and his leader, some guy named _

_Hakkoda, had already directed a bunch of Shinjuns to Ba-Sing-Se. _

_Also, I heard that the avatar was at the North Pole._

_Is this true or false? Send me a reply as soon as you can!_

_But only after Tao-win gets some rest. After all, the North_

_Pole is a long, long way from Ba-Sing-Se._

_I send you much of the loves!_

_Xana_

Hoshiko smiled, she was glad Xana had found a way through the Earth Kingdom. She put the scroll down and petted Tao-win's feathery head. "Thank you for traveling so much, Tao-win." She murmured quietly. She let the hawk fly over to a small stool she had made for him, with a little stick for her to rest on. She put her beak in her feathers and began to preen herself. Hoshiko smiled and gently rubbed the top of her head fondly, "How about I get you some lunch?"

The hawk cawed in approval at the idea of having food and water in its stomach, Hoshiko nodded as she left the room and walked down the hallway and into the room where the elders of the Water Tribe would talk and converse on certain things sometimes. At the moment, it was empty. So she had no problems going into the kitchen and getting a plate of water, some meat, and some sunflower seeds (A rare delicacy in the North Pole) for her. On her way out, she decided to take the long way to see the morning sun outside. She walked out to see Pakku was still training his students, and Katara was in the sparring ring with another student. Aang saw her walk by and he smiled, waving at her. She smiled back.

She had grown surprisingly close to the avatar and his companions since they had been here. It had only been three days since their arrival, and they all considered her to be a friend. Aang was a kind, fun-loving boy that always came up with something to entertain her, even if he didn't realize it. Katara was a caring woman with fierce determination, though her motherly side of herself began to show more often than her determined side. Sokka was… well, he wasn't the sharpest blade, but he was a good man. It must've been some other quality he had that attracted Yue to him, but she hadn't figured it out yet.

Katara was up against Chakko's younger brother, Sangook. He looked nervous as he tried to stare down the confident Katara. He brought up a ball of water, turned it into ice and shot it at her. She caught it and threw it back at him, gathering more water from the snow and imprisoned him in a gigantic, wave-like iceberg. He squirmed around, unable to get himself free, Katara smiled to herself as Pakku walked over.

"Nice try, Pupil Sangook." Pakku said, "A couple of more years and you might be ready to fight a sea sponge." He turned the ice back into water and Sangook fell to the ground, "Would anyone care for a rematch with Katara?" He looked to all his other students, all of them looking worn out, one had frozen feet, one had frozen hair, and one was covered in snow. Hoshiko laughed to herself when she saw them. Pakku turned to his new student, "Katara, you've advanced more quickly than any student I've ever trained. You have proven that with fierce determination, passion, and hard work, you can accomplish anything." Katara smiled at the compliments her master gave her. Pakku turned to where Aang was letting his lemur ride around on a ball of air, "Raw talent alone is not enough." Aang didn't seem to be paying any attention, "Pupil Aang!"

"Yes, Master Pakku?" Aang asked, the ball suddenly disappearing and his lemur landing on top of his head.

"Care to step into the sparring circle?" Pakku asked, "I figured since you found time to play with house pets, you must've already mastered water bending." Aang lifted himself up with air bending to face him.

"I wouldn't say 'mastered,'" He said, "But check this out!" He bent the snow so it covered him completely, a little smile on where his face would've been. Momo jumped on him and knocked him over. Aang laughed when Momo dug his face out of the snow, Katara and Pakku gave disapproving looks at his idleness. Hoshiko rolled her eyes at the bending, but she still had a smile on her face. She walked back down the hallway, gave Tao-win her refreshments and went back outside, where the water bending class had been dismissed for the day. She saw Aang still having Momo balance on an air ball again. He stopped when he saw Hoshiko come down and waved to her, Katara did as well.

"Good morning, Hoshiko." Katara greeted, Hoshiko smiled at her.

"Morning!" She chirped.

"You seem like you're in a really good mood." Aang commented, walking over with Momo on his shoulder.

"And why not?" Hoshiko said, "Today's my day off, and on top of that, I just got a letter from my friend in the Earth Kingdom. Everything's wonderful."

"Sounds like it." Katara said, "So who's this friend of yours?"

"My Reptilian friend, Xana." Hoshiko answered, "I have been on this block of ice for well over two months, letters from friends are like fresh water to a thirsting man." Aang and Katara shared a glance.

"So, why isn't she here with you?" Aang asked, Hoshiko shrugged.

"We decided to separate." She said, "Xana's an old friend of mine from what's left of my tribe. We figured if we separated, we'd be able to cover more ground in case one of us found someone. We were also looking for someplace safe during this war." She shrugged, "I wanted to go to the North Pole. She wanted to go to the Earth Kingdom."

"Wow, so you've been on your own for two months?" Katara asked.

"Not really." Hoshiko said, "I've had the princess to keep me company over the time I've been here. Along with everyone else in the palace." She looked up as she noticed the shadow of something flying through the sky. Then she noticed more of the shadows to see that there were thousands of them. She saw that they were not actually shadows, but black snowflakes. Momo, who was sitting on Aang's shoulder, got one in his mouth to eat. He shuddered and coughed it back out. Everyone looked up as all the water in the fountains and waterfalls in the city turned black. Hoshiko caught some snow in her hand and sniffed it. It smelled of burnt wood, or burning coal.

"Soot…?" She questioned silently, looking at all the black snow surrounding her.

"Oh, no." Katara said, "I've seen this before."

"You have?" Hoshiko asked, "When?" Katara looked into the Shinjun's eyes.

"When I was a little girl, just before my village was attacked." She said, "It's the Fire Nation, they're here." Hoshiko stiffened at the sound of drums being banged again and again. The drums that were only hit when there was an emergency.

"Come on!" Hoshiko said, "Both of you, into the palace halls!" She ushered the two, along with some of Pakku's students up the stairs to the palace nearby. When Katara and Aang were inside, she went back out to look for Princess Yue. She stood to the side as people clamored to get into the palace. Eventually, she saw Sokka holding Yue's hand as he led her up the stairs. She saw when she stopped him, and her sensitive ears picked up on their conversation.

"What's wrong?" Sokka asked, "We have to go!"

"No, Sokka, wait." Yue said, pulling her hand away from him, "I can't see you anymore. Not at all."

"What?" Sokka asked, he spun around to face her, "We're just friends!"

"I wish we could just be friends," Yue said, "But I like you too much, and it's too confusing to be around you. I'm marrying someone else!" She turned away from him so she wouldn't see his face.

"You don't love him, do you?" Sokka asked, "You don't even seem to _like_ him."

"But I _do_ love my people." Yue said.

"You're not marrying them!" Sokka said, Yue turned around to look at him.

"You don't understand!" She said, "I have duties to my father, to my tribe! I have to do this. Goodbye!" She ran by him, Hoshiko saw tears in her eyes as she ran up the stairs to her. Sokka looked after her in sadness. Hoshiko gave him an apologetic stare as she led the princess inside.

* * *

Hoshiko sat stiffly next to the princess as everyone sat down to hear the chief speak. Next to Yue was Master Pakku, who she regarded with a solemn nod, and he did the same. Chief Arnook came forward and turned to the crowd.

"The day we have feared for so long has arrived." Chief Arnook said to the villagers as they gathered in the throne room of the palace, "The Fire Nation is on our doorstep. It is with great sadness I call my family here before me. Knowing well that some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe. But they will never vanish from our hearts." Hoshiko's eyes wandered to the avatar and his friends. She wondered, would this battle bring about her death, or one of theirs? After this battle, would she ever see them again? She shook her mind of her thoughts and looked to Chief Arnook as he continued to speak. "Now, as we approach the battle for our existence, I call upon the great spirits!" He raised his arms and looked to the sky as he called, "Spirit of the ocean! Spirit of the moon! Be with us!" Everyone bowed their heads in prayer as these words were said. "I'm going to need volunteers for a dangerous mission."

Sokka immediately stood up, a hard expression on his face, "Count me in!" Hoshiko looked to him in shock, as did Yue.

"Sokka!" Katara gasped. More and more Water Tribe men stood up to accept the mission. Hahn was one of them.

"Be warned: Many of you will not return." Arnook said, "Come forward to receive my mark if you accept the task." Many men, young and old, walked forward. The first one was one of Pakku's students. He bent his head down and stood still as Chief Arnook took some red paint and made three small, squiggly lines on his forehead, resembling something like jagged wolf claws, or three red lightening strikes. The student walked away, and after him was Sokka, who bent his head down to receive the mark. Arnook dipped his fingers into the paint again and gave him the mark. Princess Yue's eyes never left his form.

As he walked away to join the other soldiers, Sokka turned around to look at the princess. She looked back at him sadly, her eyes begging him not to go, but her mouth saying nothing to stop him. Sokka's eyes said nothing in return as he turned back around and began to walk to where the other soldiers were. Yue turned back to her front as well, squeezing her eyes shut as a tear fell from her eye, biting her lip to keep from sobbing aloud. Hoshiko placed her hand comfortingly on the princess's shoulder. She put her hand over Hoshiko's and looked at her. Hoshiko smiled sadly, and Yue nodded. Gaining her composure, she turned back to the line of soldiers as they walked up to receive the mark of the chief.

* * *

Hoshiko looked up when the chief called her name, "Yes?"

"I'm afraid your day off will have to wait." Arnook said, smiling apologetically. Hoshiko smiled back.

"It's fine, sir." She said, "I know where my duties lie. I will stay here and protect your daughter." Arnook nodded his head in thanks. He turned to speak with Master Pakku as he prepared to go to battle with some of his students. Hoshiko looked out of the archway of the palace and saw Aang sitting on a small, statue of ice. He was gazing out into the horizon, where the sun was rising to show it was late morning. She walked out and saw the serious expression on his face, his hand clenching and unclenching around his staff. She looked over and saw Katara standing next to him, but she was silent, her hands wringing something in her hands. They were both anxious about the coming battle.

She walked out and stood next to the avatar as he stayed on the statue, "The stillness before battle is… unbearable." She said, voicing her thoughts, "I felt it once before, and I hated every second of it. It's such a peaceful quietness, but knowing that people are coming to exterminate you… Well, that doesn't exactly make you feel better, does it?" She smiled softly at the two of them, and Katara smiled back.

"I wasn't there when the Fire Nation attacked _my_ people." Aang said, looking at the snow beneath him, "I'm gonna make a difference this time."

"I hope so, Aang." Hoshiko said, "I really hope so."

* * *

Hoshiko stood next to Yue as they waited at the palace, seeing the line of soldiers at the front gate of the city. Her sharp eyes caught something as it rose in the distance, as it got closer, she realized it was a fireball. It hit the wall and the force of it was enough to make the palace shake from the impact. She looked to see none of the warriors had been injured. Then, another fireball came, hitting a bridge somewhere in the city. She caught the tiny grey dot that was the Fire Nation ship trying to kill them.

Aang took off on his flying bison and headed towards the ship, after a moment, the fireballs stopped firing. Then the water benders came out and drove and iceberg into the ship, making it sail no longer. Hoshiko squinted her eyes and then they widened in fear when she saw hundreds of Fire navy ships, all of them armed with fireballs and fire benders. She stood and watched, her hands gripping at the snowy railing of the balcony they stood on. No matter how close the ships got, unless they hit land in the Water Tribe, the palace was the safest place for Yue to be. Her knuckles turned white as she glared at the Fire navy ships, her fangs bared. Yue put her hand on Hoshiko's arm and she pounded the railing with her other hand.

"Damn it!" She cursed, "I hate this! I hate sitting here doing nothing!" She glared at the Fire Nation ships, "I know I have to protect you and all, but I really hate this!" Yue gently grasped her arm and began to pull her away, "Where are we going?"

"I should be safer in another part of the palace." Yue told her, Hoshiko lifted an eyebrow in confusion before she realized what was going on. The princess was letting her get out of the palace to go and help the others. She smiled and began to run ahead, the princess still holding onto her. Hoshiko brought her to a small safe house near the sacred oasis Yue had once told her about. She left the princess there, but Yue stopped her for a moment.

"Don't go to the front lines just yet." She said, "You've dealt with the Fire Nation before, go to where the soldiers are meeting to talk to them about battle strategies to help them on their mission. I'll be here when you get back." Hoshiko nodded, "And you _will_ come back, right?" Hoshiko smiled at her.

"As you wish, Princess." She said, Yue smiled and released her. She ran to the hut where Chief Arnook was inducting some of the volunteer soldiers on the undercover mission, where they would infiltrate the Fire Navy ships. When he saw her, she quickly explained where the princess was. Arnook nodded in understanding, but he looked like he still didn't like the idea. He told her, "You can't be part of the mission, but you can help us prepare for it." She agreed to this and stood off to the side, leaning on the wall next to some spears as Arnook was instructing them on what to do.

"Men, you'll be infiltrating the Fire Nation navy." Arnook said, "That means you'll all need one of these uniforms." Hahn walked in wearing a red uniform with large black shoulder spikes and holding a red helmet with a metal poker on the top with the same arrogant smirk on his face. Hoshiko wanted to laugh at how ridiculous he looked, because she had been sold to a Fire Nation general, and that's _not_ how the uniforms looked. She held in her laugh by pinching her lips together, but she still heard someone let out a quick guffaw before shutting their own mouths. Everyone looked to see it was Sokka.

"What's your problem?" Hahn asked, his smirk gone and replaced with a small scowl.

"Fire Navy uniforms don't look like that." Sokka said, pointing to Hahn.

"Of course they do!" Hahn said, gesturing to the uniform, "These are real uniforms captured from actual Fire Navy soldiers!"

"When, like, a hundred years ago?" Sokka asked sarcastically. Hoshiko smiled at his humor, but it quickly disappeared when she looked at the designs a bit closer. Surely the uniforms couldn't be _that_ old…

"Eighty five." Arnook said, confirming her fears. These uniforms were made during the rule of Fire Lord Azulon! Of course the design would change with the differing Fire Lords, especially after _85 years_! She bonked the back of her head against the wall, not realizing she got Hahn's attention.

"The Fire Nation doesn't wear shoulder spikes anymore." Sokka said, stepping forward. "The newer uniforms are more streamlined." He walked next to Hahn and flicked the spike on his shoulder. Hoshiko snorted in laughter at the sight. Hahn's scowl deepened.

"How do we know we can trust this guy?" He asked Arnook, "Such _bold_ talk for a _new_ recruit." He glared at Sokka and he glared back.

"Sokka is from our sister tribe, Hahn." Arnook began sternly, "He is a capable warrior, and I value his input." Sokka grinned smugly at Hahn, who glared back. "Now," Arnook turned back to the other soldiers, "Our first objective is to determine the identity of their commanding officer."

Without missing a beat, Sokka said, "His name is Zhao." Everyone looked at him as he continued to speak, "Middle aged, big sideburns, bigger temper."

Hoshiko cocked her head to the side, "I don't remember commander Zhao being given so much power." She said, "Last I checked, a soldier of commander rank can only command a fleet of ten ships or so."

"He's an admiral now." Sokka said, Hoshiko made a small 'o' of understanding.

"Sokka, I want you to tell everything you know to Hahn." Arnook said, "He's leading this mission." Arnook turned to Hahn, "Hahn, show Sokka your respect. I expect nothing less from my future son-in-law." Hahn flipped some of his hair back in an attempt to recover his ego from the Chief's harsh tone. Sokka gaped at him, his jaw going farther than she had ever seen it.

"Princess Yue's marrying _you_?" Sokka asked, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Hahn, pointing his finger at him.

"Yeah, what of it?" Hahn asked. Sokka turned away.

"Nothing. Congratulations." He said quickly. Arnook told the soldiers to prepare their weapons for battle before they did anything. Hahn looked over at Hoshiko, giving her a sly smirk. Her pupils became slits as she glared at him. Hahn shrugged it off and walked away. Hoshiko came up next to Sokka and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't let him get to you." She said, "Hahn's an inconsiderate jerk who doesn't deserve the princess's hand. You make a much better leader than he does, in my opinion." Sokka smiled slightly at the compliment.

"Thanks." He said, removing her hand, "By the way, how did you know about Zhao? Was he your…" He paused trying to find the right words, "Slave master, or something?" Hoshiko stiffened as memories from her time as a slave came back to her.

"No, he wasn't." Hoshiko said, "But he did visit him from time to time. They got along somewhat well." Sokka nodded in understanding. "You should probably get going. I need to get back to the princess. I've done all I can here." Sokka nodded and walked off. Hoshiko sighed to herself, her hand going to the back of her lower neck. She let out a shaky sigh as she felt the edges of a scar. She sucked in another breath and turned to walk out, only to be stopped by someone's arm. She looked to see it was Hahn, still wearing the Fire Nation uniform. "What do you want, Lord Hahn?"

"To talk." He said, walking in front of her, Hoshiko took a step away from him with every step he went forward.

"About what?" She asked him.

"Well, this is a dangerous mission." He said, "I was hoping you would wish me some luck, _Hoshiko_." He purred out her name, and she inwardly cringed at the sound of it. She tried to take a bigger step back from him, but her back ended up hitting a wall, Hahn put both of his hands next to her head as he kept that sultry look on his face that Hoshiko couldn't stand.

"Fine, you have my best wishes." _For you not to come back_, she finished in her head. "Can I go now?"

"Words of good wishes aren't exactly what I was looking for." Hahn said, leaning closer to her, "I was hoping maybe you'd give me something to… remember you by." Hoshiko raised an eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean by that, exactly?" She asked, wary of the answer.

"Well, before I leave," Hahn said, leaning his face close enough for her to feel his breath on her cheeks, "I'd love to spend my last night in the tribe with _you_." Hoshiko's eyes widened as she realized what he was saying. He wanted her to _sleep_ with him! Rage built up in her as it never had before, she glared at him and raised her hand to smack him across his face before she told him off. How _dare_ he think that she would just give herself up to him! How _dare_ he think that he could simply have her instead of the princess, his own fiancée! How _dare_ he think any of this when he's supposed to be the _next chief_ of this _tribe_! She moved to slap him, but he caught her hand before she ever made contact.

"How dare you…!" She growled, her pupils narrowing into slits.

"How dare I?" Hahn said, "How dare _you._ How dare you walk around looking so damn _good_. Tempting me. When you know I can't have you." Hoshiko scoffed.

"Are you as arrogant as you look?" She asked, "Not every girl in this city is in love with you, Hahn! I know I'm not! The princess doesn't even like you!" Hahn scoffed and pinned her wrist to the wall, grabbing her other one and pinning it as well.

"Like I care about other girls." He said, then he pushed his lips forcefully against hers. Hoshiko screamed behind her shut lips, squirming and trying to get free from his hold on her. She tried to use her shadow bending but found she couldn't move any shadows unless she had her hands. She turned her head away from him and glared, but he just smirked arrogantly. She opened her mouth to call for help, but Hahn immediately stopped her by pushing his tongue into her mouth. Hoshiko kept squirming and yelling for help in words that couldn't be heard by anyone. No matter how much she wanted, no one would hear her and no one would come to her rescue.

Or so she thought. After a moment, she heard footsteps, then someone shouting, "Hey!" Someone grabbed Hahn's shoulder and pulled him off of her. Hoshiko collapsed to the ground, gasping and coughing into her fist. She looked to see it was Sokka who had rescued her, he looked down at her in surprise, "Hoshiko…?" He looked to Hahn, who was wiping his mouth as he began to stand, the force of Sokka's push had put him on the floor, "And Hahn…? What's going on?" He stopped and froze in fear when he saw the look on Hoshiko's face. Her eyes were narrowed, her pupils in thin slits. Her ears were hooded back, her tail swinging back and forth dangerously. Her fangs were bared, and her fingernails had turned into sharp claws. She growled at him, sounding like a vicious panther.

"You _SON OF A BITCH!_" Hoshiko shouted, bringing up a huge wave of shadow and using it to throw him onto the wall on the opposite side of the room. She had some of the shadow wrap around his neck and squeeze off some of his air. Hahn gasped and his hands uselessly tried to pry the shadow from around his neck. Hoshiko put more pressure, and ginned sinisterly when his gasp was barely audible, "I'll make sure you never see the light of day again!"

"Hoshiko! Stop!" Sokka said, putting his hand on her shoulder. She took her leg and kicked him back.

"Stay out of this! It doesn't concern you!" She growled, Sokka rubbed at his now sore side. He got back up and grabbed her arms.

"Hoshiko, I know you're mad." He said, "But that doesn't give you the right to kill him. You need to let it go."

"Are you _insane?_!" She asked.

"Hoshiko, think about this!" Sokka said, "If you kill Hahn, what would happen? You would be wanted for murder, and if the chief finds out, he'll probably have you banished or worse." Hoshiko released some of the pressure on Hahn's neck, taking in Sokka's words. "And what will happen to Yue if you're gone? What about your friends? What do you think would happen to them?" That's right! Her friends… Xana, Yue, even Katara and Aang were her friends. What _would_ happen if she killed him?

She released her hold on him and let him fall to the ground. He held his throat and gasped, coughing as he gulped in breath after breath of air. He looked up at Hoshiko, who still glared at him murderously. She softened her glare and sighed.

"You're not even worth it." She said, she waved him off, "Just get ready for your stupid mission." Hahn nodded unsurely and left, leaving her and Sokka alone in the room. Hoshiko turned to him and smiled gratefully.

"Thanks." She said. Sokka shrugged.

"Don't mention it." He said, smiling back, before his expression went unbelievably serious, "Seriously, don't mention it. We could get into a lot of trouble." Hoshiko stared at him for a moment before he smiled again. She laughed lightly.

"You had me going for a minute there." She said as she clapped him on the shoulder, as she started to walk out of the room, over her shoulder, she said, "No wonder Yue likes you so much." She left the room, not seeing the expression on Sokka's face when she said those words.

* * *

Hoshiko stood beside Yue as twilight began to approach. Katara had run from the front lines and was standing on Yue's other side. They all watched as they saw the ships stop moving altogether, not one of them shooting anything at the city._ Smart move._ Hoshiko thought, knowing that all water benders were stronger the higher the moon rose. Unfortunately for them, Zhao was a good strategist.

"They've stopped firing." Yue said, seeing the ships weigh anchor.

"Aang!" Katara called, seeing the bison fly into the city. All the girls ran from the bridge to go and greet him. They saw Appa collapse on the ground as he landed, Aang slid off his head and sat next to him.

"I can't do it." He said aloud, putting his head in his hands, "I can't do it."

"What happened?" Katara asked, reaching him.

"I must've taken out a _dozen_ Fire Navy ships but there's just too many of them." Aang said, looking up at them, "I can't fight them all!"

"But… You have to!" Yue said, "You're the avatar!"

"I'm just one kid." Aang said sadly, he buried his head in his arms as they rested on his knees. Katara knelt down and put her hand on his shoulder to comfort. Hoshiko looked down at the young avatar sadly, knowing that he was right. Aang may be over a hundred years old, but he was still just a twelve year old boy at heart. He couldn't handle something as big as this all on his own.

* * *

Sokka stood next to Hahn as they sharpened their axes, Hahn spoke first, "Let me tell you, Soukka (He pronounced his name wrong), I've courted a lot of girls, but _Yue_'s the finest." He said, "And she comes with the most perks."

That comment made Sokka turn to him and glare, "'_Perks?_' What does that mean?" He almost growled.

"I mean, Yue's nice and everything," Hahn said, "But the points I'll gain with the chief aren't bad either. Along with the fact she has some lovely assistants."

"You mean Hoshiko?" Sokka asked, his voice still growly.

"Yeah, she's a little rough around the edges, but give her some time and she'll come around." Hahn said.

"Princess Yue is _wasted_ on a self-absorbed weasel like you!" Sokka growled, sharpening his axe harder than before.

"Whoa, hang on," Hahn said, "What do _you_ care? You're just a simple root from the Southern Tribe. What would you know of the political complexities of _our_ life? No offense." That did it. Sokka snapped. He let out a cry as he tackled Hahn to the ground. He kept trying to throw punches at him as they rolled around.

"You're just a jerk without a soul! _No offense!_!" Sokka yelled. They rolled around for a few minutes, Sokka ending up pulling the necklace he wore to try and cut off his air, Hahn trying to yank his hair out.

"That's enough!" A loud voice boomed. The two were lifted up by a pair of hands and they looked to see Chief Arnook was the one that intervened, he turned to Sokka, "Sokka, you're off the mission." Sokka gaped at him for a second as the chief walked away. He was off the mission? Disgruntled, he turned away, crossing his arms and scrunching his face into one of anger.

"Alright, fall in men!" Hahn said, a hint of smug triumph in his voice, "Everybody listen to what I say, and we'll take down this Admiral Cho in no time." He led the troops out of the room.

"It's Admiral _Zhao_!" Sokka growled as he walked away. Hahn ignored him as he led the other warriors out the door.

* * *

Hoshiko stood next to Yue as she, Aang, and Katara were out on the balcony near the throne room of the palace. Katara stood next to Aang, who sulked against the railing. Yue gazed up at the moon, seeing that it was almost full tonight. Hoshiko gazed up at it as well, the ethereal light shining through grey clouds that most likely would bring snow in a day or two. It was rather beautiful.

"The legends say the moon was the first water bender." Yue said, trying to make some conversation between her and the avatar, "Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides, and learned how to do it themselves."

"I've always noticed my water bending is stronger at night." Katara said, looking at the princess.

"Which is exactly why the Fire Nation ceased fire." Hoshiko said, glaring at the sea that harbored the Fire Nation ships, "They know they can't fight water benders at night, so they plan to wait it out until morning to strike." Her hands gripped at the sleeve of her parka as she scowled, "They're nothing but a bunch of filthy cowards!" She growled. Yue looked at Hoshiko, seeing her face and body and feeling her anger towards the Fire Nation, the emotion emanating off of her like an aura. She turned to the princess when she realized she was staring at her, sharply asking, "What?"

Yue said nothing as she looked back out at the moon. Katara and Aang looked over at the Shinjun as she glared at the ships, her lips forming a small snarl as an animalistic growl was barely heard. Katara looked upon her sadly, thinking that Hoshiko must've had a hard time with the Fire Nation to hate them so.

"Our strength comes from the spirit of the moon. Our life comes from the spirit of the ocean." Yue said, trying to change the subject, "They work together to keep balance." Hoshiko saw the light go off in Aang's head as he jumped up, scaring Momo and making him fly up for a moment.

"The spirits!" He exclaimed, "Maybe I can find them and get their help!"

"How can you do that?" Yue asked.

"The avatar is the bridge between our world and the spirit world." Katara said, smiling at her friend, "Aang can talk to them!"

"Maybe they'll give you the wisdom to win this battle!" Yue said excitedly.

"Or maybe they'll unleash a crazy-amazing spirit attack on the Fire Nation!" Aang said, twice as excited as Yue. He looked to see the girls surrounding him didn't agree with that prospect, "Or wisdom, that's good too." He said, leaning back against the railing.

"The only problem is," Katara said, "Last time you got to the spirit world by accident. How're you gonna get there this time?"

"I have an idea." Yue said, "Follow me." Yue led the group through many halls until they reached a courtyard out back. They went past the safe house that Hoshiko had left Yue in as they went up to a gigantic, icy wall with a single door to let someone in. Yue stood beside the door as Aang stepped forward.

"So, is this the way to the spirit world?" Aang asked, pointing at the door. Yue laughed lightly.

"No, you'll have to get there on your own." She said, "But I _can_ take you to the most spiritual place in the entire North Pole." She opened the door and Aang went in. He saw the spirit oasis and was amazed. The spirit oasis was sacred ground in the North Pole, with warm temperatures surrounding the tiny piece of land that held a small pond near an archway surrounded by bamboo. In the pond were two koi fish. One was black, with a single white spot on the top of its head. The other was white, with a single black spot on top of its head. Aang, full of excitement, ran across a bridge leading to the grass-covered spot. He laughed as he used his air bending to jump high and softly land on the ground.

"I never thought I'd miss grass this much!" He exclaimed, rolling on his back. Yue, Katara, and Hoshiko were right behind him. Hoshiko smiled at the sight of green grass, _real_ green grass. She was tempted to go and join Aang on the ground, just to feel the stalks of grass beneath her.

"It's so warm here!" Katara exclaimed, looking around, "How is that possible?" She began taking off her parka so she wouldn't get too hot in the warm climate.

"It's the center of all spiritual energy in our land." Yue said, following suit. Momo, being a curious little lemur, went over to the water and saw the two koi fish as they swirled around each other. He stuck his paw in the water to try and get one, but before he could. He looked to see the stern stares of Katara and Princess Yue. His ears drooped as he trudged away from the pond.

"You're right, Yue." Aang said, standing underneath the archway. "I can feel… something. It's so… tranquil." Aang sat down in a meditating position, closing his eyes. Hoshiko began to walk away, but the two girls noticed.

"Hoshiko, where are you going?" Yue asked, Hoshiko looked back at her and smiled.

"I have some prior business I need to attend to." She said, "I should be back soon. And besides, I'm sure you'll be perfectly safe in the presence of the avatar." She waved as she headed out. Once she shut the door, she looked around and broke into a run. She ran down the hallways looking left and right.

She finally found what she was looking for, and skidded to a halt. "Chief Arnook!" She called, he turned to see her and jumped back as she ran forward. When she reached him, she rested her hands on her knees as she caught her breath.

"Hoshiko? What are you doing here?" Arnook asked, "Where is my daughter?"

"She's perfectly safe, sir." Hoshiko said, "She's at the spirit oasis with the avatar and his friend. I needed to come and find you so I left her in their protection."

"Why did you need me?" Arnook asked.

"It's concerning the security of your daughter…"

* * *

Sokka glared at his boomerang as he squatted on the floor, sharpening the edges with a rock. He was alone in the room as he did so, still fuming about being left behind on the mission. He heard footsteps come in, but didn't care to see who it was.

"Is something wrong, Sokka?" It was Hoshiko.

"Oh, _no_. Hahn's out there on the top secret mission while I'm here sharpening my boomerang. Everything's _fine_!" Sokka replied sarcastically. Hoshiko smiled to herself.

"Well, I think I have something that might cheer you up." She said, "The Chief has told me to give you a special assignment."

"What? Does he want me to scrub the barracks?" Sokka asked, turning to her. He became confused at the sight of her smile.

"No, he wants you to guard his daughter, Princess Yue." She answered. Sokka jumped up, eyes wide.

"What? For real?" Hoshiko nodded in confirmation, "But I thought guarding Yue was your job!" Hoshiko smirked and looked at her nails as she spoke again.

"I know, but I reminded the chief that, what with so many fire benders just outside our borders," She said, "That only one persons protection might not be enough against a platoon of soldiers. So, I convinced him to let me have one of his warriors that wasn't on the top secret mission, AKA: you, to help me protect her." Sokka gaped at her for a minute, then his face broke out into a smile and he hugged her, much to her surprise.

"You are the nicest Shinjun I've ever met!" He declared, spinning her in a circle. Hoshiko pushed away from him, and he smiled apologetically, "Sorry."

"No, it's fine." Hoshiko said, straightening out her parka, "You were just happy to receive the news, I understand." Sokka smiled at her, and she smiled back, "Seeing as this may be the final hours of the Northern Water Tribe, I thought you might want to spend it with the princess by your side." She started walking out of the room, "Come on, we shouldn't keep her waiting."

"Oh, right." Sokka said, stowing his boomerang in its holder as he quickly followed her. "So, where is she?"

"I left her with your friends at the spirit oasis." She said, "Although, I didn't think it would take so long to convince Chief Arnook to let you help me. She's been up there for some time, and I'm a little worried. We should find her as soon as possible."

"Hoshiko!" The two whirled around to see Yue running towards them.

"That was easy." Sokka said.

"Yue, what is it?" Hoshiko asked as her friend caught her breath.

"It's Aang, he's in trouble!" She said, "A fire bender found his way through the city, and he's planning on taking Aang!"

"What did he look like?" Sokka asked, stepping forward.

"He was… young. I don't think he was a soldier." Yue said, "He had this huge scar across his face, and a ponytail."

"Zuko." Sokka growled, "He's been trying to capture Aang since day one. I can't believe he still followed us all the way to the North Pole!" Hoshiko nodded.

"Then we need to get to the spirit oasis as fast as we can." She said, she turned down the hall, "It's this way, come on!"

"Wait!" Sokka called, "We'll get there a lot faster if we go on Appa. We need to get to the stables." He ran the opposite direction and Hoshiko and Yue ran after him. They ran outside and saw that it was daybreak as the sun slowly rose into the morning sky. They found the stables and Hoshiko jumped at the sight of the gigantic furry bison. Sokka and Yue were completely calm as they went toward it. Sokka helped Yue up onto the saddle on his back. Hoshiko still stood there, gaping at the great beast. "Hoshiko, what are you waiting for?" Sokka asked, "Hurry and get on!" Hoshiko nodded unsurely as the princess helped pull her up.

"And how exactly is this monster going to get us to the oasis faster?" Hoshiko asked, "We're practically on the opposite side of the city!"

"Yip yip!" Sokka called, snapping the reigns. Hoshiko went back at the force of the lift off. She looked to see they were flying through the air! It was a flying bison, probably the last of its breed. Had the situation been different, Hoshiko would have been amazed to be flying through the air on the back of a big hairy beast with six legs and a big fluffy tail. They made it to the oasis in an eighth of the time it would've taken them to get there if they went on foot.

As they made their descent, they saw only Katara, lying limp on the ground. Hoshiko saw some of the grass had been burned away, and Aang was no where in sight. Katara jumped up, seeming to be awake now, and looked around, calling out for her friend. Appa landed on the grassy floor and Sokka jumped off his head.

"What happened? Where's Zuko?" Sokka asked quickly. Hoshiko and the princess jumped off the bison's saddle.

"He took Aang. He took him right out from under me." Katara said, her voice breaking as Hoshiko saw tears coming to her eyes. She fell to the ground and looked at Momo, who was in the place Aang had been sitting when Hoshiko left.

"Where did they go?" Sokka asked, looking at Momo as he turned to them with his big green eyes. Hoshiko wondered the same, looking around the oasis for any sign where the avatar might've been taken.


	4. The Siege of the North: Part 2

4

Hoshiko looked around them and saw a small pathway leading up to an arctic wilderness outside of the city. "There!" She cried, pointing, "He must've gone up that way."

"I can't believe I lost him." Katara despaired.

"You did everything you could." Sokka said, "And now we need to do everything we can to get him back." He started walking back to Appa, "Zuko couldn't have gotten far. We'll find him. Aang's gonna be fine." Katara looked back at her brother and wiped away the tears in her eyes.

"Okay." She said, getting up. Hoshiko was about to help pull her up onto the bison, when she stopped. She looked down at Momo, who was chirping sadly at the sight of the pond.

"Should we grab him?" Hoshiko asked, seeing her stare at the lemur.

"It's alright." She said, she turned to the lemur, "You stay here, Momo. In case Aang comes back." Hoshiko pulled her up and Sokka snapped the reigns, making Appa lift off into the sky as they flew to the wilderness ahead. The snow around them began falling faster and harder as a blizzard began to stir up.

"Ugh, there has to be a blizzard _now_ of all times?" Hoshiko groaned.

"It won't be easy to find Aang in this weather." Katara said, "This is bad." Hoshiko looked over at the water bender and saw she wasn't just upset over the weather, she was worried about how Aang would fare in this blizzard. She put her hand on Katara's shoulder.

"We'll find them." She assured, "One way or another, we'll find them."

* * *

After searching around for a few hours, Katara cried out, "I think I see him!" Hoshiko looked over the side of the saddle and saw a huge trench near a few snow covered rocks. Sokka landed the bison and jumped off his place on the bison's head. He treaded a few feet of snow, and didn't see anything. He turned back to Katara and shook his head. Katara became downcast and looked at the floor of the saddle they sat on. Hoshiko jumped off the bison and walked over to where Sokka was.

"What are you doing?" He asked. Hoshiko took a deep breath and lifted up her arms, making her shadow rise before her. Sokka yelped and jumped back at the sight. Hoshiko stretched her shadow out, so it stood high at ten feet, then she had it land on the ground. She placed it over different spots of snow, Sokka seeing where parts of the snow had been dented easily as they shone white against the blackness. Then, she came upon a spot where there were many round-looking rectangular spots heading towards the trench. She ran forward a little farther, and saw the same kind of dents on the other side.

"He was here!" Hoshiko called, she pointed to the trench, "He must've found some thin ice and ran across it. We're on the right track." Sokka nodded and they both headed back onto the bison.

"How did you do that?" Katara asked, Hoshiko shrugged casually.

"I'm a shadow bender." She said, "In some places, we're considered the best trackers in the world because we can see the imprints of something on the ground using our shadows." Katara nodded, though she didn't look like she fully understood, "You kinda have to be a shadow bender to get it." She said, "But we're getting close, the imprints must've been made maybe thirty minutes ago, given how hard it's snowing." Katara smiled at the prospect of finding Aang.

* * *

Iroh stood next to Zhao as they watched the battle of fire benders versus water benders take place on the icy ground. "I don't need to remind you we have a time limit." Iroh said, "If we don't defeat the Water Tribe _before_ the full moon rises, they will be undefeatable."

"I assure you, I have everything under control." Zhao said, "I intend to remove the moon as a factor."

"Remove the moon?" Iroh repeated, "_How_?" The door that led to where they were creaked open.

"Admiral Choy!" A voice called, the two men looked to see a young man, probably Water Tribe, come in. He was dressed in an old-looking Fire Navy uniform and holding a spear. He took his helmet off dramatically and aimed the spear at Zhao, "Prepare to meet your fate!" He ran towards him, but Zhao stepped to the side, grabbed his arm, and threw him over the side. Iroh looked after him as he fell into the icy water, shaking his head at the poor attempt to take Admiral Zhao's life.

"As I was saying," Zhao continued, "Years ago, I stumbled upon a great and powerful secret. The identity of the moon spirit's mortal form." Iroh's eyes widened.

"What?" Iroh gasped.

"I was a young lieutenant serving under General Shu in the Earth Kingdom." Zhao said, "I discovered a hidden library; underground, in fact. I tore through scroll after scroll, one of them contained a detailed illustration and the words 'moon' and 'ocean.' I knew then that these spirits could be found, and killed. And that it was my destiny to do so."

"_Zhao_! The spirits are not to be trifled with!" Iroh hissed.

"Yes, yes, I know you fear the spirits, Iroh." Zhao replied, "I've heard rumors about your journey into the spirit world. But the ocean and moon gave up their immortality to become a part of _our_ world, and now they will face the consequences."

* * *

It was getting late. Sokka, Yue, Katara, and Hoshiko had already spent a good few hours looking for the missing avatar. Katara becoming more and more downcast as time went on.

"Don't worry." Yue said trying to lift her spirits, "Prince Zuko can't be getting too far in this weather."

"I'm not worried they'll get away in the blizzard," Katara said, "I'm worried that they won't."

"They're not gonna die in this blizzard." Sokka said, "If we know anything, it's that Zuko never gives up. They'll survive, and we'll find them."

After another hour or so, the snow died down and stopped. All seemed quiet until a bright light soared over them.

"Look!" Katara called, "That's gotta be Aang! Yip yip!" The light went down into a small crevice that the four of them would have missed because of its snow covering. The space inside the crevice glowed for a few seconds, then it disappeared. After another moment, something came shooting out into the snow. They saw it was Aang, but his hands and feet were tied. He tried to crawl away like a worm, but another form, a young man with a large scar on his face, came out and gripped him by the collar. As the group flew over, Aang saw his giant bison.

"Appa!" He called happily. Sokka landed the bison a few feet away from the two. Hoshiko looked to see the man called Zuko was young. He had long, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and had a huge scar across the left side of his face. He glared at the group as Katara jumped down from the saddle. He tossed Aang aside and went into a fighting position.

"Here for a rematch?" He asked.

"Trust me, Zuko." Katara said, "It's not gonna be much of a match." Zuko shot a blast of fire at her, which she blocked by bending the snow around her. As Zuko sent out another blast, she bent the snow around him so that he went ten feet into the air. She turned the snow into ice and dropped it back down. He collapsed against the snow, unconscious. Sokka ran over to Aang, taking out his machete to cut the ropes he was in.

"Hey, this is some quality rope!" Sokka said happily, holding the cut ropes in his hands. Aang quickly untied his feet.

"We need to get to the oasis." He said quickly, "The spirits are in trouble." They ran back to Appa, Aang at his head and Sokka sitting in the saddle. Aang took the reigns in his hands, but looked back at the unconscious Zuko, "Wait, we can't just leave him here."

"Sure we can." Sokka said, "Let's go."

"No." Aang insisted, jumping off, "If we leave him, he'll die." He went over to Zuko and hefted him up onto his shoulders, making his way back to Appa's saddle.

"Yeah, this makes a lot of sense!" Sokka said sarcastically, "Let's _bring_ the guy who's constantly trying to kill us!" Appa took off into the air and they flew in the direction of the oasis. Sokka quickly tied Zuko up so that, should he wake up, he wouldn't be able to hurt any of them. As they flew past the sky, Hoshiko stared in horror as the moon changed from white to blood red. Yue held her head and groaned.

"Are you okay?" Hoshiko asked, putting her hand on the princess's shoulder.

"…I feel faint." Yue replied weakly.

"I feel it, too." Aang said, holding his head. He looked up to the moon with worried eyes, "The moon spirit is in trouble."

"I owe the moon spirit my life." Yue said, startling everyone around her.

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked.

"When I was born, I was very sick, and very weak." Yue said, "Most babies cry when they're born; but I was born as if I were asleep, my eyes closed. Our healers did everything they could. They told my mother and father I was going to die. My father pleaded with the spirits to save me. That night, beneath the full moon, he brought me to the oasis and placed me in the pond. My dark hair turned white, I opened my eyes and began to cry, and they knew I would live." Hoshiko stared at the princess with wide eyes, why had she never heard of this before? "That's why my mother named me Yue, for the moon." The rest of the ride was silent as they went toward the oasis. Looking down, they saw a few Fire Nation soldiers, one of them didn't have a helmet and was holding a small brown bag. Hoshiko's sharp ears picked up on his words as they moved to land.

"I am… a _legend_, now." Zhao said, holding up the bag, "The Fire Nation will, for generations, tell stories about the great Zhao who darkened the moon! They will call me Zhao The Conqueror... Zhao The Moon Slayer! ..._Zhao_! …_The_ _Invincible_!" With a loud screech, Momo jumped on Zhao's head, tugging his hair and biting his skin, "GAH! Get it off! Get it off!" When the soldiers moved to get the lemur away, he flew to Aang and landed on his shoulder, baring his teeth at Zhao. Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Hoshiko stood in fighting stances as the Fire Nation soldiers did the same. "Don't bother." Zhao said, he held his fist to the bag, which had the squirming moon spirit inside it.

"Zhao! Don't." Aang said, dropping his staff.

"It's my destiny." Zhao said, "To destroy the moon and the Water Tribe."

"Destroying the moon won't hurt just the Water Tribe." Aang said, "It will hurt _everyone_. Including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have _no idea_ what kind of chaos that would unleash upon the world!"

"He is right, Zhao." Another voice said. All heads turned to see an old Fire Nation man in a red cloak standing on the bridge near the oasis.

"General Iroh." Zhao said, addressing the man, "Why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?" Hoshiko looked to the old man in shock. _He_ was the great Dragon of the West? The powerful general who killed the last of the dragons? He was nothing like she thought he would be in appearance. Then again, he was pretty old…

"I'm no traitor, Zhao." Iroh said, "The Fire Nation needs the moon, too. We all depend on the balance." Hoshiko was glad the Fire Nation had men with _some_ sense. Iroh pointed at Zhao before getting into a fighting position, "Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you _tenfold_! _Let it go_,_ NOW_!" Zhao glared at Iroh for a moment, but then he lowered his head, seeming to surrender to the old man's threat. He knelt down and placed the white koi fish back in the pond. Light returned to the moon and everything became as it was. But Zhao did not surrender. For the moment after he placed the fish in the water, he let out a wild cry as he brought down his hand and let out a blast of fire onto the fish, leaving a big, black scar against its scales. Everyone looked up and saw that the moon had disappeared from the sky, turning everything black.

Iroh let out multiple powerful fire blasts at Zhao, who ran for cover. When the soldiers who had been guarding Zhao fought back to defend him, Iroh retaliated the defeating every last one of them with a few blasts of flame. No one noticed Zhao slip away, or that the prince that they captured had now escaped. The black koi fish, obviously the ocean spirit, swam around the dead body of the moon helplessly, trying to get it to swim with it. Everyone walked forward to the pond. Iroh gingerly picked up the white koi, looking at the scar sadly.

"There's no hope now." Yue said, beginning to cry into Sokka's shoulder, "It's over." Aang's tattoos suddenly began to glow. Hoshiko jumped back at the sight.

"**No**." He said, sounding as if a thousand voices were speaking his words, "**It's not over**." Aang then proceeded to step into the pond. Katara moved to stop him, but Iroh held out his hand to her. Aang stood in the center and the black koi swam circles around him. Eventually, it stopped in front of him, the fish's eyes glowing as well before the entire pool lit up in a bright, white light. Suddenly, as if a hole had opened up directly beneath him, Aang went into the water. The water around the oasis began to glow a bright blue. Waves forming in the water, becoming higher and higher and making some kind of form. Everyone stared in awe as the form was the ocean spirit, a giant fish man, with Aang at the center of it. The spirit walked through the city, wiping out different fire benders and their machines and rhinos.

As the battle raged outside the oasis, Iroh put the fish back in the water. It did not move. "It's too late." Katara said, "It's dead." Iroh had a solemn look on his face as he pulled back. Everyone sat around the pond, sad and depressed over the loss of the moon spirit. Iroh looked over at Yue and saw her white hair. His eyes widened and he turned to her.

"You have been touched by the moon spirit." He said to her, "Some of its life is in you." Yue looked at him, her sapphire eyes seeming to glow in the dark.

"Yes, you're right." Yue said, "It gave me life… Maybe I can give it back." Sokka stared at Yue wide-eyed as she said those words, as did Hoshiko. Yue stood and was about to walk over to where Iroh had picked the fish back up.

"No!" Sokka cried, his hand shooting out and grabbing hers, "You don't have to do that!"

"It's my duty, Sokka." Yue said solemnly. Hoshiko stood up, her crystal eyes blazing.

"There's no way we'll let you!" Hoshiko cried, "We were both given our duties by your father to protect _you_! We can't do that if you're dead!" Sokka's grip tightened around Yue's hand, hoping that it would keep her there.

"I have to do this." Yue said, releasing her hand from Sokka's grip. Hoshiko and Sokka gaped at her as she placed her hands on the corpse of the moon spirit. The fish glowed the same shade of white that the pond had when Aang entered it. A moment later, Yue fell to the ground.

"_No_!" Sokka cried, catching her. He put his hand to her face and felt her skin, "She's gone…" He said softly. He held her close, holding back tears, "She's gone."

Unlike Sokka, Hoshiko could not hold back her tears. She didn't sob aloud, but her tears ran down her cheeks as she gazed at the body of her now dead friend. No longer feeling her legs, she collapsed onto her knees. She stared at the ground as her tears kept coming, gripping at the cloth on her legs. _It's happening again,_ she thought to herself, _I lost someone else. First, my family, then Kotaro, and now… Yue._ The very thought of it made tears pour faster. She put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from sobbing and falling apart altogether.

Suddenly, Yue's body disappeared into nothing. The fish Iroh held began to glow, and he placed it back into the pond. It swam for a moment, then a light seemed to emanate from it, lighting up the pond. The light moved into the air, like an ethereal smoke, and it showed Yue in a beautiful white gown. Her eyes shining with emotion.

"Goodbye Sokka." She said, her voice sounding somewhat distant, but also sounding as if she'd never been closer to someone. She went down and took his face in her hands, "I will always be with you." They shared one final kiss, before Yue disappeared again. When she did, the moon shone brightly in the sky once more. Sokka gazed at it sadly. He rested his hands on the patch of grass she had been on previously, and felt something underneath his hand.

"What's this?" He asked as he picked it up. He held it up for everyone to see it was a bracelet. It had a small plate with a drawing of a crescent moon, and inside the crescent was a white star. Hoshiko recognized it immediately.

"Give me that!" She demanded, snatching it out of his hands. Everyone stared at her as she looked at the bracelet, her tears coming even faster now, "This… I gave her this bracelet… To celebrate her… Sixteenth birthday…" She said no more and shut her eyes tight, her shoulders shaking as she silently sobbed. Katara came over to her and put her arms around her. Hoshiko gladly welcomed the gesture and turned into Katara's embrace. She sobbed aloud at the loss of her dear friend.

She cried for the loss of Princess Yue.

* * *

_Dear Xana,_

_ Thanks for the letter, I needed a little of your _

_comforting words. I'm glad to hear you found a safe _

_way to Ba-Sing-Se. As it turns out, I might be heading _

_there, myself. The North Pole's not much good to me _

_at the moment, seeing as how I lost my job, but _

_hopefully, I might be able to find other work elsewhere._

_ Yes, the avatar's at the North Pole, but he'll _

_be leaving any day now. And he's taking me with him. _

_I talked it over with him and his friends, they're going _

_to let me travel with them so I can have a better chance _

_of finding my family (I also think they might be doing _

_it out of pity, but I really don't care at the moment). _

_Maybe we'll run into each other someday, _

_and don't worry, I gave Tao-win plenty of rest _

_before I sent her back to you._

_Yours truly,_

_ Hoshiko_

Hoshiko rolled up the scroll and stuck it on the back of Tao-win. She sent the bird off with a smile and she gazed down at the bracelet she had given Yue. It was her reminder that Yue was not dead. She simply lived as the moon, bringing balance to the world. It was a big job, but hey, somebody had to do it.

She heard knocking at her door and she went over to open it. She was surprised when she saw Hahn, battered and bruised, standing there.

"Lord Hahn…" Hoshiko greeted hesitantly, "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were leaving." Hahn said, "I came to say goodbye." Hoshiko narrowed her eyes.

"Well, then, goodbye." She was about to shut the door when Hahn's hand shot out and stopped it.

"I know you don't want to see me." He said, "And I don't blame you. I wanted to apologize for my actions." Hoshiko looked to see Hahn was being truly genuine. "It was wrong of me to try and defile you, and you have my utmost apologies." Hoshiko looked at him dubiously for a moment. Hahn had been told that he would not be marrying the princess, they told him she sacrificed herself for the benefit of the world. Once he heard that, he seemed to sober up, he apologized to everyone he'd been an ass to, and now, he was apologizing to her. Hoshiko sighed and looked at him.

"Apology accepted." She said, Hahn smiled at her, but not in a way she found disgusting. It was actually, kind of, grateful. "Now, I'd like to finish packing in peace."

"Of course." Hahn said, he bowed slightly towards her and walked away. Hoshiko stared after him sadly, knowing that Princess Yue's no longer being human affected him somehow. She turned back to her clothes and kept packing. She took only the necessities, and a couple extra things. Just Yue's bracelet, and some Earth Kingdom money, should she need it.

She walked outside to where she was told to wait on everyone to get ready. They would leave by boat, Pakku had already told her about his plans to rebuild the Southern Water Tribe, and she thought it was a good idea. She looked to see Pakku looking out at the city, Katara behind him. She couldn't hear their words, but she assumed he was telling Katara about the plans to go south. She looked in the other direction to see Sokka talking with Chief Arnook. She could hear their words as she moved closer.

"The spirits gave me a vision when Yue was born." Arnook said, "I saw a beautiful, brave young woman become the moon spirit." He took in a deep breath, "I knew this day would come."

"You must be proud." Sokka said.

"_So_ proud." Arnook said, "And sad." Arnook looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Hoshiko standing there, "Sokka, could you give us a moment alone?" Sokka looked to see Hoshiko standing there and nodded, going to join his sister and Aang. Hoshiko walked up to the Chief, giving him a sad smile. "This is the last I will see of you?"

"Maybe." Hoshiko said, "Who knows? I might come back someday." She shrugged nonchalantly. She looked up into the Chief's eyes and saw the grief from losing his only daughter, "I know how you feel, sir. I've lost plenty of important people in my life, Yue is no exception. But she is not truly dead, she still lives."

"I know." Arnook said, "But it feels as if she has disappeared entirely." Hoshiko nodded solemnly. "If you have changed your mind about going…"

"My mind is set." Hoshiko said, "Besides, I get restless when I stay in one place for too long. Who knows what I would do if I stayed?" The Chief smiled at her humor, "I need to know for certain if my family is truly dead. I know I lost my father, but I'm not sure about my mother. There's always a chance."

"There is indeed." Arnook said, he stared at the young Shinjun for a moment, "You were my daughter's closest friend… I would be lying if I said I wouldn't miss you at all." Hoshiko nodded and held her hand out to the Chief. He clasped his hand around her forearm, the typical greeting for any Water Tribe warriors.

"I'll miss you, too, sir." She said, "Do me a favor, and tell Shin-jii and his men goodbye for me?"

"Certainly." Arnook replied. He looked behind her, and Hoshiko followed his gaze. They saw some of the benders and healers getting ready to leave for the South Pole. "You should get going." He bowed slightly towards her and she did the same for him, "Goodbye, Hoshiko."

"Goodbye, Chief Arnook." Hoshiko replied. She gave him one last smile before running after some of the benders, following them down to the ship where she would be staying with the avatar and his friends. She was sad she was leaving, but couldn't help the excited butterflies in her stomach.

There was a change in the winds, and this change was good.


	5. The Avatar State

5

Hoshiko was gently awoken by someone shaking her hammock, she opened her eyes to see it was Katara. "Come on, Hoshiko." She said, "We're leaving."

"Already?" Hoshiko questioned sleepily, rubbing one eye as she sat up. Katara nodded and Hoshiko huffed out a breath. "Okay, I'm getting up." She hopped out of her hammock and onto the floor. She grabbed her bag, which she filled with clothes, food, and other basic necessities, and slung it over her shoulder. She followed Katara onto the deck where Sokka, Aang, Pakku, and most of the water benders were waiting to say goodbye. Pakku stepped forward holding a brown bag, smiling at the four of them.

"Katara," He said, pulling out a vial-like amulet from the bag, "I want you to have this. This amulet contains water from the spirit oasis." He handed it to her, "The water has unique properties. Don't lose it." He added sternly, but he smiled as she stepped forward to give him a small embrace.

"Thank you, Master Pakku." Katara said, leaving to get on Appa.

"Aang," Pakku called next, pulling out a box with the insignia of the Water Tribe on it, "These scrolls will help you master water bending. But remember, they're no substitute for a real master." Aang glanced back at Katara before he bowed to Pakku gratefully, "Hoshiko," Hoshiko's ears pricked at the sound of her name, not expecting anything from Pakku. He pulled out a small, blue box, "This is a little gift from Shin-jii and his men." She accepted the box and opened it, finding a small necklace with a crystal hanging off of it, "It is a water crystal, one of the rarest kind. In our tribe, it is normally a good luck charm to those who need it. They also wanted me to tell you that they 'hope you find your friends and family.'" Hoshiko smiled up at the old man, "I also wish you luck on your journey."

Pakku held out his hand for her to take, and Hoshiko stared at it for a moment, before walking up and embracing him. He jumped at the gesture, but hesitantly returned it, "Thanks, Pakku. And tell the others 'thank you' for me if you get the chance." Pakku nodded and she released him, she bowed respectfully towards him and he smiled.

"Sokka," Pakku said. Sokka eagerly stepped forward, hoping to receive a gift like the others did, instead Pakku just patted his shoulder, "Take care, son." Pakku walked away and Sokka sulked as he climbed onto the bison, "Fly straight to the Earth Kingdom base to the east of here. General Fong will provide you with an escort to Omashu. There, you'll be safe to begin your earth bending training with King Bumi." Aang nodded once.

"Appa, yip yip!" Aang said, snapping the reigns on the bison's horns.

"Say hi to Gran gran for me!" Katara called as they shot off into the air. Hoshiko watched as the ship became smaller and smaller as they flew off into the distance. When the ship was nothing more than a dot on the water, she turned around and slumped against the saddle, sighing. Katara looked to see Hoshiko with a slightly shocked look on her face, "Is something wrong, Hoshiko?"

Hoshiko looked over at the water bender, "Hm? No, no, everything's fine." She said, dismissing her with a wave, "I guess… I'm just a little anxious."

"About what?" Katara asked, Hoshiko shrugged.

"I have no idea." She said.

* * *

After flying for about three hours, they reached a shore, where Sokka saw the walls surrounding an Earth Kingdom base. He jumped up excitedly, "There it is!" He exclaimed. Hoshiko saw a tower protected by a round wall, the base itself was small, but she expected as much, for it must've taken a lot of stone to make the halls so high.

They landed at the top of the wall, where someone stood waiting for them. They jumped off the bison saddle, stretching out their limbs, jumping when a voice called out to them.

"Welcome, Avatar Aang!" He said, they looked to see a middle-aged man with brown hair and a long brown beard on his face. He wore an Earth Kingdom General uniform, and was clearly an earth bender by the fact he didn't wear shoes. "I am General Fong." He greeted, him and his soldiers bowing deeply to them, "And welcome to all of you! Great heroes! Appa. Momo. Brave Sokka." At the mention of his name, Sokka smirked and puffed out his chest, "The mighty Katara."

"Mighty Katara?" Katara repeated, "I like that." Booming sounds were heard and the group looked to see Earth Kingdom fireworks- fireworks that only worked when earth benders shot them into the air- going off behind them in an amazing display.

"Not bad, not bad!" Sokka said, smiling at the treatment they were getting.

"And who is this you've brought with you?" Fong asked, stepping forward, closer to Hoshiko. She turned to him and bowed respectfully.

"My name is Hoshiko, sir." She said, "I am a simple Shinjun who is here to help the avatar in anyway I can." The general smiled down at her, and took her hand in his, kissing her knuckles. Hoshiko blushed at the gesture; she had never been treated with such respect.

"Truly, the avatar brings great heroes." Fong said, "The kind-hearted Shinjun, Hoshiko. Welcome." Hoshiko smiled sheepishly at him.

* * *

Hoshiko, Katara, Aang, and Sokka sat in the head office of the base. General Fong sat at the desk in front of them. Behind him were two maps: one of the Earth Kingdom, the other of the world. The room was decorated in a traditional Earth Kingdom style of spheres with square centers. Soldiers stood at the door of the room, watching as the conversation between the group and the general took place.

"Avatar Aang," Fong began, "We were all amazed at the stories of how you single-handedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole." Fong stroked his beard thoughtfully, "I can't imagine what it feels like to wield such devastating power." He looked over at Aang, "It's an awesome responsibility."

"I try not to think about it too much." Aang replied, shrugging. General Fong smiled kindly at him.

"Avatar," He said, "You're ready to face the Fire Lord now." Aang's eyes went wide.

"_What?_! No, I'm not!" Aang said.

"Aang still needs to master all four elements!" Katara said.

"Why?" The general questioned, "With the kind of power he possesses," He stood from his seat, "Power enough to destroy _hundreds_ of battleships in a matter of minutes, he could defeat the Fire Lord _now_!"

"But, sir, the thing is," Sokka said, "Aang can only do those things when he's in the avatar state."

"See, it's this special state where-" Aang said.

"I'm well aware!" Fong interrupted snappishly, "You're eyes and tattoos glow, and you're able to summon unbelievable power." He walked over to the world map, "Without you, we'd be slaughtered before we even reached their shores. But with you leading the way, as the _ultimate_ _weapon_," He pointed his finger to the base they were at on the map, moving it toward the Fire Nation, "We could cut a swathe right through to the heart of the Fire Nation."

"Right…" Aang began, "But I don't know how to get in or out of the avatar state, much less what to do once I'm there."

"So it's decided then." Fong said, turning to face them, "I'll help you figure out how to get into the avatar state, and then you'll face your destiny." Their eyes widened and they all stood up.

"No, nothing's decided!" Katara said, "We already have a plan. Aang's pursuing _his_ destiny _his_ way."

"Well, while you take your time learning the elements, the war goes on." Fong said, "May I show you something?" He gestured to the window and Aang followed him toward it, "That's the infirmary," Fong said, talking about the building they were looking at. Aang saw many soldiers badly injured, with many bandages covering their wounds, "And those soldiers are the lucky ones. They came back. Everyday the Fire Nation takes lives," He said, turning to the avatar, "People are _dying_, Aang! You could end it. Now. Think about it." Fong turned away and walked back to his desk, "Soldiers, take them to the rooms we had prepared for them." The soldiers at the door nodded and led the group through the hallways of the tower until they reached a small bedroom, with four beds, two on one wall, one on another, and on the other. Everything was in green, and glowing emeralds were the only light in the room. The soldiers left as everyone chose a bed.

Katara and Hoshiko took the two beds on one wall, Sokka took the bed across from them, and Aang took the bed in between. After packing and relaxing for a few hours, Aang left the room, saying he'd be back in a moment.

And he was, he opened the door and walked to his bed. He sat down and stared at the floor, "I told the general I'd help him." He said, "By going into the avatar state."

"Aang no!" Katara said, "This is not the right way!"

"Why not?" Sokka asked from his bed, "Remember when he took out the Fire Navy? He was incredible!"

"Sokka's got a point." Hoshiko said, "If Aang can take out so many Fire Navy ships in such a small amount of time, it'd be easy for him to take down the Fire Lord."

"There's a right way to do this," Katara insisted, "Practice, study, and discipline."

"Or just glow it up and stop that Fire Lord!" Sokka retorted. Katara glared at him and jumped to her feet.

"If you meatheads want to throw away everything we've worked for, fine!" Katara said, "Go ahead and 'glow it up'!" She stalked away from them, heading for the door.

"Katara, I'm just being realistic!" Aang called after her, "I don't have time to do this the right way!" The door slammed and Aang slumped his shoulders. He sat back down on the bed and sighed heavily. Hoshiko looked at the young avatar and then looked back to the door. She got up from her bed and walked out. She found Katara near something of a balcony, looking up at the starry sky. It overlooked the courtyard of the base, where they could see soldiers on patrol.

"Katara?" Hoshiko called, she glanced at her before turning her attention back to the sky. Hoshiko sighed and walked up next to her, leaning against the railing. "Look, I can understand your reasoning for not wanting Aang to do this. Taking shortcuts is never a good idea if you want to get something done right, and this is exactly that. A shortcut. They're not always the best ideas, but they get the job _done_. I want this war to be over just as much as the next person, and if Aang being in the avatar state is the fastest way to end it, then I'm all for it."

"It's not that." Katara said, "You've never been up close to him when he's in the avatar state. It's scary."

"So, you don't want him to do this because you're scared?" Hoshiko asked, raising one eyebrow in a dubious kind of way.

"Well… Yes and no." Katara answered, "It's just… When Aang goes into the avatar state… One time, when we were visiting an Air Temple, Aang found the skeleton of one of the monks, surrounded by Fire Nation soldier uniforms. He went into the avatar state, because he had lost the people he loved. Seeing him in all that rage and pain is really awful. I just don't want Aang to go to such extreme measures to defeat the Fire Lord." Hoshiko smiled softly at her.

"Aww, you care about the little guy, don't you?" She cooed, patting her head in a teasing way. Katara pushed her hand away roughly, though the smile on her face said she was amused. "I understand, Katara. But you gotta know that, in order to get things done," Her hand unconsciously went to the back of her neck, "Sometimes, a price has to be paid." Her fingers touched the edge of a scar on her skin, "Do you understand?" Katara looked at her and nodded. Hoshiko smiled at her, "Good. Now, let's get you back in the room. It's late, and I'm starting to get tired." Katara smiled and nodded, following her back into the room.

* * *

Hoshiko, Aang, Katara, and Sokka followed General Fong to a small veranda near a water fall close to the base. They met with the soldier's herbalist, who welcomed them. He prepared a pot of tea and had enough made for only one cup. He took out a small, brown square from a jar and placed it in the pot of tea.

"This rare chi enhancing tea is a natural stimulant." He said, pouring the tea into the cup, "In an ordinary warrior, it improves strength and energy tenfold." He pushed the cup in front of Aang, "In you, it may induce the avatar state." Aang took the cup and looked at the clear, brown liquid.

"Tenfold energy, huh?" he mused aloud as he took a sip. The group waited with baited breath for Aang to glow, but nothing of that sort happened.

What _did_ happen was Aang becoming unnaturally hyper, riding his air scooter all around the veranda, his voice very high and loud as he spoke and rapidly asked questions, "Is it working? Is it working? I can't tell! Somebody tell me if I'm in the avatar state, 'cause I don't have a good feel of myself! Am I talking too loud?" He kept on riding around on his air scooter, Hoshiko pulled her ears down and held them next to her face as he kept going.

"I guess he could _talk_ the Fire Lord to death." Sokka said sarcastically as Aang flew around behind him, and crashed into a pole. Fong kept stroking his beard thoughtfully, his eyebrows furrowed.

* * *

Sokka had brought them back to the base. He stood in front of Aang, Katara, Hoshiko, and General Fong out in the courtyard. "Maybe I can shock you into the avatar state." Sokka suggested.

"I love surprises!" Aang said cheerfully, giving him a thumbs-up. Katara covered his eyes and Sokka motioned for Hoshiko to come over. He whispered something to her and she nodded, bending up shadows around him to give him something of a tentacle-like appearance as Sokka stuck Momo in his shirt so the lemur's head would be where Sokka's was. Katara removed her hands and Momo screeched at Aang as Sokka leaned forward, his hands going in the same direction as the black tentacles. Aang yelped and flinched at the sight. He looked down at his tattoo, and saw it was still normal, "Still not glowing."

Hoshiko removed her shadows from Sokka as he stumbled backwards, not used to having Momo replace his head. He fell over and Hoshiko snickered slightly at the sight. Fong kept stroking his beard thoughtfully.

* * *

Fong had brought them deeper into the tower at the base, where their spiritual consultant, a simple Earth Kingdom monk, had Aang wear a large, green hat with leaves, a long, furry, blue cloak, a red clothing bottom, and a small pouch that looked like it had seen better days. "You are wearing a ceremonial piece of clothing from each of the bending nations." He said as he stood at a podium with a large dish in front of him, "Now, I will join the four elements into one! Water," He poured water into the dish, "Earth," He emptied a smaller plate of dirt into the dish, "Fire!" He grabbed a torch off the wall and dipped it into the dish, "Air!" He pulled out a small pump and pushed out air into the dish. He picked up the dish and raised it above him, "Four elements together as one!" He threw the contents of the dish onto Aang, who quickly became covered in the brown muck.

"This is just mud!" He said to the old man.

"So, do you feel anything?" The man asked. Aang was silent as he held up his hand, his nose twitching. Everyone looked to see if this technique had really worked, only for Aang to sneeze, unconsciously using air bending to make the mud fly off of him and onto everyone else. General Fong lifted his hand up to wipe away the mud on his face and in his beard.

"We have to find a way." He said.

* * *

Hoshiko walked along the railing of a balcony at the Earth Kingdom base. She had a moment to herself with Aang and the others resting up. She looked up at the sky and saw dusk was approaching, she put her hand over her heart and sighed, feeling it beat softly in her chest. She felt strange, not in a bad way, but not in a good way either. She was glad she was helping the avatar and glad that she was able to get a chance to find any of her friends and family other than Xana, but she was still upset about the North Pole. She felt strange, knowing that she couldn't see her again, but also knowing she wasn't dead. Now, in order to speak to her friend at all, she'd have to pray to the moon spirit. She almost laughed at the concept, _praying_ to a friend.

She heard voices and looked to see Aang and Katara near the balcony she walked on, she stopped walking and eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Can we talk about something?" Katara asked.

"Sure." Aang said.

"Do you remember when we were at the air temple and you found Monk Gyatso's skeleton?" Katara asked, "It must've been so horrible and traumatic for you. I saw you get so upset you weren't even you anymore. I'm not saying the avatar state doesn't have incredible, and helpful power! But, you have to understand, for the people who love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary."

After a moment, Aang said, "I'm really glad you told me that. But I still need to do this."

"I don't understand." Katara said.

"No, you don't understand." Aang said, turning to her, "Every day more and more people die. I'm already a hundred years late. Defeating the Fire Lord is the only way to stop this war! I have to try it."

"I can't watch you do this to yourself." Katara said solemnly as she walked away, "I'm not coming tomorrow." She turned around to face him, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Aang bid sadly. He turned back to the balcony again and stared at the sunset. She kept walking along the railing and Aang noticed her as she approached him, "Isn't that dangerous?" He asked her, "It's a fifty-foot drop."

"I'm fine." She said with a smirk, "As it turns out, I have a fantastic sense of balance." She stood on one foot and hopped her way over to the young air bender to prove her point. Aang laughed a little as she came over, "See?" He smiled at her before dropping his gaze and looking out at the sea again.

"Hoshiko, can I ask you something?" He asked, Hoshiko nodded and sat down on the railing, her feet hanging a few inches from the ground.

"What is it?" She asked.

"It's about your past, in the Fire Nation." Aang said.

"Ah," She said, "Well, what about it?"

"Were you really a slave?" Aang asked, "It's just… when I was a kid, slavery was a horrible thing. It was unthinkable, in any of the four nations. I just find it hard to believe that the Shinjun tribe was enslaved to the Fire Nation."

"Well, you better believe it, buster." Hoshiko said, "It's been a hundred years since that time, and time changes a lot of things." She looked down to her lap, "When I was younger, I was a completely different person. I was ignorant, and I was content not knowing what went on outside our tribe's boundaries. But after everything the Fire Nation did what they did, I had no choice but to change."

"What do you mean?" Aang asked.

"I had to change who I was." Hoshiko said, "I was a shadow bender, so I was a valuable asset to my master. I worked in the fields, I worked in battle. I was his weapon, and I had no way to say no to him. If I did say no, I was severely punished." Her hand went to the back of her neck, feeling the edges of a scar again. "I had to be more… unfeeling than I used to be. I had to do what I was told without worrying about the consequences, but I just couldn't do it. So when my master left to fight in the war, I ran away to the Earth Kingdom. A land that was outside their authority. I wanted to make a new life there, so I went to the North Pole. You know the rest from there." "Yeah…" Aang said, "I'm sorry it happened."

"Don't be." Hoshiko said, jumping off the balcony, "There was nothing anyone could have done anyway. You shouldn't be worrying about the past too much, there's nothing anyone can do now to change what happened. You need to focus on the now, not on the could've been. Okay?"

"Okay." Aang said. Hoshiko smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Sweet dreams, Aang." She said.

"Goodnight."

* * *

Hoshiko lay awake, staring at the ceiling. She had woken from her nightmare again, but she was worried about what would happen if she fell back into sleep. She didn't want to relive that awful day again. She looked over as she saw Aang writhing around under his sheets, sweating and moaning slightly. It seemed she wasn't the only one having nightmares. Suddenly, Aang jumped up, gasping. He panted harshly before turning to Sokka and looking back between him and Hoshiko.

"Sokka, Hoshiko." He called out quietly, so as not to disturb Katara, "Guys, wake up."

"Uh?" Sokka replied sleepily.

"Yeah, Aang?" Hoshiko asked.

"I don't think we should be trying to bring on the avatar state." Aang said.

"You sure?" Sokka asked, Aang nodded.

"Yes."

"Okay." Sokka said, shrugging indifferently.

"No, not 'okay,'" Hoshiko hissed, "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"It just feels… wrong." Aang said, "I think we should be doing this the right way. No shortcuts." Hoshiko looked at him for a moment, seeing the determination, and fear, in his eyes. She sighed in resignation.

"All right." She said, "The right way is usually the best way to do something."

"Do you think the general will be mad?" Aang asked.

"What can he say?" Sokka said, "You're the avatar. Who knows better than you?" Aang nodded unsurely and went back to bed. Hoshiko turned back into her sheets, forcing her eyes to close.

* * *

_She was in a field. A field that had miles and miles of tall, green grass surrounding everything. At the edge of the grass was a forest, she could just barely see the tree line. She felt the grass tickling her skin and she laughed, how amazing it felt! She started to run through the grass, barefoot, loving the feel of the tips brushing against her. _

_After a few feet she collapsed into the ground, laughing breathily. She stared up at the blue sky above her, linking her fingers behind her head, making a temporary pillow. She felt so content in this one moment, she felt the only thing that would make this better was…_

"_Hoshi!"_

_She sat up at the sound of her name, she looked over the blades and smiled. She saw everyone, her father, her mother, Xana, Katara, Sokka, and Aang. They all waved to her, smiling, beckoning her over. She looked for the one who had called her, because none of their voices matched the one she heard. Xana stepped aside and she saw him. His back was to her, but she could still see his white hair, white wolf ears, and white wolf tail. He was wearing the same blue kimono shirt he always wore and a pair of black pants. She didn't need to see his face to know who he was. It was Kotaro, her closest friend, her other half, her hanbun tamashi._

_She got up and began to run toward them, ready to see them all. Ready to be in the arms of the ones she loved. The sky suddenly darkened, as did the faces of her friends. Hoshiko slowed down in confusion and saw them disappear. They all turned to dust and blew away by the time she reached where their bodies would have been. _

_She heard a disturbing sound as the grass and trees all began to wilt and die. She wondered what made this happen and froze as she heard a familiar hiss of laughter. She turned around and saw a great, giant panther standing over her; long, inky black tentacles squirming and writhing around as the panther laughed. It seemed to have no complete physical form, as the edges of it seemed to move, as if it were made entirely of some dark, unearthly substance. Like shadow. _

_She stared up at it in fear, and then began to run away again, but a tentacle caught her and brought her up to the panther's face. Its dark eyes with white pupils stared back at her. It opened its mouth to eat her, and she screamed._

"Hoshiko."

She jolted awake, getting into a sitting position in a cold sweat. Her chest rising and falling double time as she tried to catch her breath. She looked to see Sokka was the one who woke her, and he looked surprised at her sudden reaction.

"What is it, Sokka?" She asked, trying to sound normal, but her voice shook some.

"We're going to tell the general about Aang's decision." He said, "Get dressed and meet us there."

"Yeah, okay." Hoshiko said, wiping away some of the sweat on her forehead.

"The thing is," Aang said, "I don't think we'll ever be able to trigger it on purpose." Sokka and Hoshiko stood off to the side, some soldiers a few feet behind them as they all stood in the general's office as Aang explained his reasoning, "So, I guess that's it."

"Sure I can't change your mind?" General Fong asked, looking down at the young avatar from his desk.

"I'm sure." Aang said, "I can only reach the avatar state when I'm in genuine danger."

"I see…" Fong said, "I was afraid you'd say that." Hoshiko looked at him with a raised eyebrow before she saw him earth bend the stone in his desk to push Aang out the window on the other side of the room.

"AANG!" Sokka and Hoshiko exclaimed simultaneously. The soldiers that were a few feet away grabbed them both and held them tight, refusing to let them go.

Fong walked over to the window, where Aang had used his air bending to land safely on the ground, "MEN!" Fong shouted, "ATTACK THE AVATAR!" Aang looked around fearfully as the men began to advance on him. Fong jumped down from the window, landing on some ground, using earth bending to make a small shockwave toward Aang. The air bender stood and looked at the general.

"What are you doing?" Aang demanded.

"I believe we are about to get results." Fong said. Aang watched as the soldiers around him began to bend up giant, earth kingdom stones in the shape of earth kingdom coins. They began to throw them at him, Aang using his air bending to skillfully dodge them.

"I'm not your enemy!" He shouted, "I won't fight you!" He jumped up as four more giant coins were bended at him. The one he landed on was pushed away by another, and they attempted to crush him between the ones that were beside it. Aang had carefully maneuvered his way into the small square in between and stayed still as the stones began to roll, stopping when an earth bender destroyed them. Aang skidded across the ground and stood up against the soldiers.

Meanwhile, Sokka and Hoshiko escaped the hold of the soldiers. Sokka used his legs to knock them both down while Hoshiko used her shadow bending. They ran to the window to see the soldiers bending more giant coins at Aang, who easily dodged them. He used his air scooter to try and run away, avoiding the stones that were bent up to block him, and ran toward the wall. Two soldiers on ostrich horse went after him, slicing at him with their bisento, watching as Aang avoided them and fell back. When they landed, the soldiers tried to get him again, but he dodged and fell into a stone coin. Fong bent the stone of from the ground and dragged Aang to him by trapping him in the square in the middle.

"You can't run forever!" Fong declared as he brought the stone to the ground.

"You can't fight forever!" Aang shot back. Fong jumped up and crushed the stone after Aang had left it.

"Come on!" Hoshiko yelled, starting to run down the stairs, Sokka quickly following her. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they saw Katara coming down as well.

"What's going on?" She asked over the sound of rock crushing rock.

"The general's gone crazy!" Sokka exclaimed, "He's trying to force Aang into the avatar state!" Sokka threw his boomerang at one of the soldiers before he could throw another stone coin at Aang. As Aang ran away from one of the soldiers, Katara used her water bending to cut the staff of the bisento the soldier held in pieces and knocking him off his ostrich horse while Hoshiko used her shadow bending to keep a few soldiers back. Sokka cautiously approached the ostrich horse and began to ride it.

Suddenly, all the stone coins began to move, forming a barrier around Katara. Aang, who had been running up the stairs to get away, stopped when he saw her.

"Maybe you can avoid me," Fong called out to Aang, "But _she_ can't." The soldiers turned the stone coins so they formed a V-shaped wall around Katara, trapping her. Katara shot out a stream of water at the general, only to have him bend up some dirt to turn it into mud. He then used his earth bending to make Katara suddenly spin, her legs sinking into the earth. She struggled to get free, but found she couldn't.

"I can't move!" She yelled, beginning to panic.

"Don't hurt her!" Aang yelled, jumping down from the stairs and shooting out air at the general. He brought up a slab of earth to protect himself as the air moved directly to it and harmlessly past him. He moved the slab down and caused Katara to sink even further into the ground, having the stone up to her hips.

"Katara! No!" Sokka cried, turning the ostrich horse so he could help his sister. As the horse began to gallop towards the general, he used earth bending to make the horse stop and Sokka go flying into the center of one of the stone coins. Hoshiko began to go after the general as well, bringing up a wave of shadow to knock him down, but he used earth bending to bring up four pieces of stone and used them to trap both her wrists and ankles to the ground beneath her, making her unable to move. Hoshiko knew she could wriggle her way out of it, but it would take some time.

"Stop this!" Aang cried, running up to the general and grabbing his arm, "You have to let her go!"

"You could save her if you were in the avatar state!" The general said.

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Aang yelled desperately, his eyes becoming filled with tears. "Aang, I'm sinking!" Katara yelled as Fong had her go even deeper into the dirt, making her up to her waist in the stone.

"I don't see glowing!" Fong said, trying to coerce Aang into the avatar state. He had Katara go down even further, up to her neck in the stone. She let out a yelp.

"Please!" She begged.

"_You don't need to do this!_" Aang cried, falling to his knees, begging the general to stop.

"Apparently, I do." Fong said solemnly, engulfing Katara completely into the stone. Aang dived after her, trying to grab her so she wouldn't be pulled under, but he was too late. Hoshiko watched as a bright light began to come from Aang's tattoos and eyes. He whipped around to the general in a furious state of anger at the loss of his friend.

"It worked!" Fong exclaimed happily, shooting his fist into the air, "_It wor-her-herked!_!" A sudden gust of air came from the avatar and Aang used an air bending slice to blow the general back twenty feet. The force of the wind also caused Hoshiko's cuffs to fly off, and she got up, but was frozen by the look of Aang in the avatar state. It was terrifying. She felt chills run through every part of her muscle, penetrating to the bone.

Aang used air bending to create a whirlwind around him, bringing him up high and towering over the people in the base.

"Avatar Aang! Can you hear me?" Fong called out over the wind, "Your friend is safe!" He earth bended Katara out of the ground, and she gasped, taking in deep breaths. She looked up and saw Aang in the avatar state, "It was just a trick to trigger the avatar state! _And it worked_!" Aang said nothing as he suddenly came down to the ground, creating an earth bending shockwave that dismantled the stones of the base and throwing stone coins into the wall and buildings, and throwing soldiers back. And what wasn't thrown back by the earth was thrown back by the shockwave of wind that followed. When the shockwave had reached the edges of the wall, the air went back to Aang as his body formed a dome of air around him, making all winds center on him as he stood.

After a moment, the air flow slowed down, and Aang's glowing ceased. He fell to his knees and looked around sadly at the wreckage he created. Katara ran over to him and pulled him into a small embrace.

"I'm sorry Katara." Aang said, "I hope you never have to see me like that again."

"Hah! Are you joking?" The general asked as he walked over, "That was almost perfect!" He began stroking his beard, "We just need to find out a way to control you when you're like that."

"You're out of your mind." Aang said, glaring at the general.

"I guess we'll figure it out on the way to the Fire Nation." Fong said. He didn't notice Sokka coming up to him on the ostrich horse, and Sokka hit him on the head with his club. General Fong instantly fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Anybody got a problem with that?" Sokka asked the soldiers, who quickly shook their heads.

"Do you still want an escort to Omashu?" One of the soldiers asked as they came forward, bowing.

Katara pretended to think about it for a moment before saying, "I think we're all set." Momo flew into Aang's arm and Aang smiled at the lemur. Hoshiko followed the group as they gathered their things and flew away on Appa.

They headed in the direction of Omashu, to find Aang's earth bending teacher.

* * *

**Chapter 5! Yay!**

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	6. The Cave of Two Lovers

6

The next day, Katara decided it was time for Aang to get in some water bending training, so they landed near a river.

"_Finally_!" Sokka groaned happily as he quickly undressed, "A chance to really relax!" He grabbed a large leaf and carefully sat in it so he would lounge on it as it floated on the current. He dipped his limbs into the water as he floated, Momo flying over and resting on his stomach. Sokka took out the string that held his ponytail up and tossed it aside, closing his eyes peacefully.

He opened his eyes when he saw a shadow come over him, and let out a scream as Appa flopped into the water, covering Sokka in water and making the leaf he was on sink into the river. Everyone laughed as Momo, who had flown away before Appa landed, flew back onto Sokka's head and Sokka fumed at the giant bison. He picked his leaf back up and sat in it again.

"I could use a dip myself." Hoshiko said, undressing as well. Her under clothes were the simple enough, a cloth covering her chest and another, larger cloth to cover her lower torso and upper legs. She jumped where the water got deeper and come up, spluttering water happily. She swam to the more shallow area and stood, squealing when Sokka splashed some water at her. "Hey!"

Sokka sent her a wet raspberry and she kicked up some water, splashing him back. The water went farther than she would've liked, spraying on Katara. She glared playfully at the dark-haired Shinjun before bending up a wave of water and splashing both Hoshiko and Sokka. Hoshiko fell back on her stomach into the water and Sokka flipped over in his leaf.

"Katara!" Sokka whined, Katara giggled.

"Sorry." She stopped laughing when her eyes fixated on something. Aang and Sokka followed Katara's gaze and saw she was staring at Hoshiko's back. It was covered in scars and burns, and in the corner of her back was what looked like a brand in the shape of a rhino's head. The burns were a deep red and covered different parts of her back in spidery patches. There were longer, thinner scars, probably from a whip, over the burns. Hoshiko noticed their silence and turned to see they were all staring at her.

"What?" She asked, facing them. When they were still silent, she looked over herself, "Is there something stuck on me?"

"Your back…" Katara said, looking at her sadly. Hoshiko crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Katara with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, what about it?" She asked, when Katara couldn't find the words, Sokka spoke for her.

"Where did you get those scars?" Sokka asked, Hoshiko's expression saddened for a moment before she shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"I think that should be obvious." She said dryly, "I _was_ a slave in the Fire Nation."

"It was that bad?" Aang asked, Hoshiko shook her head.

"Please, the scars were my punishment when I did something wrong." She shrugged indifferently, "They don't really hurt anymore."

"Well what about that one?" Katara asked, pointing to her hip, meaning the one in the shape of a rhino's head, "Is that a brand?"

"Yeah." Hoshiko said, "That's how my master marked his property." Her fingers traced over the edges, "I can't seem to get rid of the damn thing." She looked over at the depressed faces of her friends and sighed. She splashed some water on all of them, "Will you guys forget about it? They're just scars! You have more important things to worry about right now. Like _water bending practice_." Katara, though still a little worried about her friend, nodded, leading Aang into the water.

She showed him a few different stances and forms to help him learn water bending. Hoshiko had taken to resting on Appa's stomach as he floated in the water, and Momo curled up on Sokka's chest.

After about an hour, Sokka spoke up to his sister and Aang.

"You guys are gonna be done soon, right?" He asked, "We have a lot of ground to cover if we wanna make it to Omashu today."

"What, like you're ready to go right now, naked guy?" Katara asked sarcastically.

"I can be ready in two minutes!" Sokka said, he lifted up his bangs to meet his sister's eyes, "Seriously, whenever."

"So, you were showing me the octopus form?" Aang asked, eager to return to the lesson.

"Right, let me see your stance." Katara said. Aang did so, bending his knees and holding out his arms in the position he was taught to be in. Katara looked at him for a moment before walking over and moving behind his back, grabbing his arms. "Your arms are too far apart. See, if you move them closer together, you protect your center. You got it?" Hoshiko didn't miss the blush on Aang's cheeks from the close proximity of Katara.

"Oh." He gulped, "Yeah, thanks." Katara walked back over to where she was and took her own stance.

"Okay, let's see what you got." Katara said. Aang brought up eight tentacles of water and Katara shot an icicle at him. Aang caught it with his tentacles and threw it away from him. Katara shot out another icicle and he caught it, throwing it back at her. Katara dodged and shot three more icicles at Aang. He blocked them with a tentacle and used another one to travel over to Katara, wrapping around her leg. Katara stopped and looked down at her leg, then she smiled at him, "You make a fine octopus, Pupil Aang."

Aang smiled and brought up more water around him, making the watery octopus have a head as he wiggled around in the water. Katara laughed. Aang released the water back into the river with a splash, stopping when he heard music. Everyone listened as they heard the music getting closer, the words becoming audible and understandable.

"_Don't fall in love with a travelin' girl._

_She'll leave you broken,_

_Broken heart-ed._" The people making the music came into sight. One was a man with tanned skin in a purple and green kimono, playing a red liuqin. Another was a large man in a white and pink tunic, a straw hat on his head, playing a drum. Another was a woman with a brown and pink dress, a flower resting on her head as she played the flute. Two others, a bunny girl Shinjun in a red dress, and a Reptilian man Shinjun in a purple gi. Both Shinjuns were dancing to the music being played.

The music stopped when the group saw Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Hoshiko in the water.

"Hey, river people." The man in the purple kimono said, pointing to them. His voice sounded kind of distant, Hoshiko noted.

"We're not river people." Katara said.

"You're not?" The man asked, wrinkling his nose in confusion, "Well, then what kind of people are you?"

"Just… people." Aang said, shrugging.

"Aren't we all, brother? _Hoo_!" The man said, spreading his arms out. Sokka trudged toward them, Momo on his head.

"Who're you?" He demanded, pointing at the man in the purple kimono.

"I'm Chong. And this is my wife, Lily." He introduced. Lily curtsied at them when her name was spoken, "We're nomads. Happy to go wherever the wind takes us."

"You guys are nomads?" Aang asked excitedly, "That's great! I'm a nomad!"

"Hey, me too!" Chong said.

"…I know." Aang said, "You just said that."

"Oh." Chong replied, "Nice underwear." He pointed to Sokka's underpants. Katara and Hoshiko laughed as Sokka pulled Momo from his head to cover himself and he scooted away from them, leaving to go find his clothes.

"So, what are your names?" Hoshiko asked the two Shinjuns, the bunny girl smiled at her, her red ruby eyes sparkling.

"I'm Usagi." She said, her voice high, "This is Tokage," She gestured to the Reptilian, who waved a clawed hand at her, "And Moku." She gestured to the large man with the pink and white kimono. He smiled at her, "Nice to meet you!"

* * *

Hoshiko looked up as a ring of flowers was placed in her hair and saw Usagi smiling at her. They were all resting on Appa, fully dressed, listening as Chong played random tunes on his liuqin and Lily braided flowers into Katara's hair. "It's a shame you're hair's so short." Usagi whined as she climbed further up the bison to his head, "I could braid it so nicely." Hoshiko shrugged.

"I prefer it short." She said, snuggling into the fur of the bison.

"I met another reptilian Shinjun once," Tokage began randomly, "Long blonde hair, with a whole bunch of it over one eye. Said her best friend was a Panther, like you. Said she had short hair. What was her name again…?"

"Oh! Oh! I know this one!" Usagi blurted out as she stopped braiding Appa's hair temporarily, "Um, um, it started with, like, a Z kind of sound… It was- It was- Uhhh… Don't tell me, I know it! It was… Zima… Ziva… Zaka…"

"Xana?" Hoshiko suggested, wondering if they met her friend.

"Yeah!" Usagi exclaimed, pointing to Hoshiko, "That was it! We met her, like, eight months ago."

"No, I'm pretty sure it was ten." Tokage said, "I remember, 'cause we were down over at that cave with the funky big crystals."

"Oh yeah." Usagi said.

"You were in a cave with giant crystals?" Aang asked.

"Yeah, when we were there, we saw this _huge_ night crawler." Tokage said, "It was, like, the size of two of you on top of each other." He pointed to Aang.

"That's amazing!" Aang exclaimed excitedly.

"We could take you there if you want." Usagi said, braiding flowers into Appa's fur.

"Really?" Aang asked eagerly, "That would be so much fun!" They looked up as they saw Sokka come over to them. "Hey, Sokka, you should hear some of these stories!" He said, sitting up straight, "These guys have been everywhere!"

"Well, not everywhere, little arrow-head." Chong said, stopping his music for a moment, "But where we haven't been, we've heard about through stories and songs." Sokka quirked an eyebrow dubiously.

"They said they'll take us to see a giant night crawler!" Aang said.

"On the way," Moku began, "There's a waterfall that creates a never-ending rainbow!" He rolled onto his back and spread his arms to emphasize his words.

"Look," Sokka began sharply, "I hate to be the wet blanket here, but since Katara is busy, I guess it's up to me." Katara shot him a glare, "We need to get to Omashu. No sidetracks, no worms, and definitely no _rainbows_." Sokka listed the things they didn't need to do on his fingers. He crossed his arms over his chest with a sense of finality. As if what he said settled everything.

"Whoa! Sounds like someone's got a case of _Destination-fever_!" Chong laughed, "You're worried too much about where you're goin'."

"You gotta focus less on the _where_ and more on the _going_." Lily said, using her hands to emphasize her point, pulling Katara's braid with her.

"_O. MA. SHU_." Sokka said, pronouncing each syllable in the name clearly and firmly.

"Sokka's right." Katara said, "We need to find King Bumi so Aang can learn earth bending somewhere safe."

"Well, sounds like you're headed to Omashu." Chong noted. Sokka face palmed. "There's an old story about a secret pass. Right… through… the mountains." His dramatic way of saying the last sentence made Aang interested, seeing as he said "Ooh!"

"Is this real, or a legend?" Katara asked, dubious of an old story.

"Oh, it's a real legend." Chong said, sitting up straighter, "And it's as old as earth bending itself." He began strumming the strings of his liuqin to a tune that Lily and Moku began to play as well. Everyone was swaying with the music's beat, except for Sokka, who just rolled his eyes as Chong sang.

"_Two lovers,_

_Forbidden from one another._

_A war divides their people._

_And a mountain divides them apart._" Usagi and Tokage got up and began dancing to the music, swaying and twisting in ways Hoshiko was sure wasn't normal dancing.

"_Built a path to be together~!_" Chong stopped for a moment, "Yeah, I forget the next couple lines, but then it goes," He started playing again, with more gusto than before,

"_Secret Tunnel!_

_Secret Tunnel!_

_Through the mountains!_

_Secret,_

_Secret,_

_Secret,_

_Secret Tunnel!_ Yeah!" He fell back against Appa and everyone but Sokka applauded.

"…I think we'll just stick with flying." Sokka said, giving the nomad a dry look as he walked over, "We've dealt with the Fire Nation before. We'll be fine." Aang stood up as he came over.

"Yeah, thanks for the help, but Appa _hates_ going underground." Aang said, glancing up at the bison, "And we need to do whatever makes Appa most comfortable." He smiled at Chong.

* * *

"LAUNCH!" The Fire Nation general commanded as more catapults fired more fireballs at the group. Everyone screamed as they avoided the flaming projectiles.

* * *

The group went past the nomads, scorched and singed from the fire.

"Secret Love cave. Let's go." Sokka said monotonously, pointing to Chong to lead the way. He smiled and the nomads got up, following him down a path that led to the mountains.

After a while, Sokka asked, "How far are we from the tunnel?"

"Actually, it's not just _one _tunnel." Chong said, "The lovers didn't want anyone to find out about their love, so they built a whole labyrinth!" Sokka stopped in his tracks and whirled around, looking at Chong with wide eyes.

"_Labyrinth_?" He repeated.

"I'm sure we'll figure it out." Chong said. Sokka wasn't comforted but they kept going.

"All you have to do is trust in love." Lily said, "Well, according to the curse." Sokka stopped again, Hoshiko watched as he had a small spasm in his frustration at the nomads.

"_Curse?_!" He whined.

"Eh-Hey! We're here!" Chong said as they came to a large tunnel with a sign at the top that read, 兩個情人洞 (cave of two lovers) at the top.

"What exactly is this curse?" Sokka asked as they stood outside the entrance.

"The curse says that only those who trust in love can make it through the caves." Chong explained, "Otherwise, you'll be trapped in them forever."

"And die." Lily said.

"Oh yeah, and die." Chong said, "Hey, I just remembered the rest of that song!" He stepped forward and strummed the strings on his liuqin once as he sang, "_And DIE!_" in a low, dark voice.

"That's. It!" Sokka declared, "There is _no way_ we're going through some cursed hole!"

"Hey!" Moku said, "Someone's makin' a big campfire!" He pointed to a stack of grey smoke that floated into the air.

"That's no campfire, Moku." Katara said grimly as she saw the smoke.

"It's the Fire Nation." Hoshiko growled, "They're tracking us." Aang turned to Chong.

"So all you need is trust in love to get through these caves?" He asked.

"That is correct, Master Arrow-head." Chong said. Aang turned to Katara and gazed at her back. He felt his heart beat pick up at the sight of her and his insides warmed in a way that had him feeling more content than he ever had in his life.

"We can make it." He said.

"Everyone into the hole!" Sokka said, beckoning them all inside. They followed him, Appa followed with some reluctance as they passed by the statues at the opening of the cave.

When they were further in, Hoshiko's sharp ears picked up the sound of metal scraping the ground. They had come in Fire Nation tanks! She strained to hear their words as one of them spoke, but she couldn't make out what he said. Suddenly there was a shudder through the walls of the cave, and the light from the entrance darkened as the sound of rocks came into their range of hearing. Everyone went back and saw that the rocks had fallen in front of the entrance, trapping them in the mountain. Appa pawed helplessly at the fallen stones. Katara came up and pet his leg to try and calm him down.

"It's okay, Appa. We'll be fine." She said, she looked away and murmured, "I hope…"

"We will be fine." Sokka assured, "All we need is a plan. Chong," Sokka turned to the nomad holding a torch, "How long do those torches last?"

"Ah, about two hours each." He said.

"And we have five torches. So that's," Lily lit the other four torches, "Ten hours."

"It doesn't work like that if they're all lit at the same time!" Sokka growled, snatching the torches and stomping on them to put the flames out.

"Oh, right…" Lily said, shaking her head for being so foolish. Sokka climbed up to Appa's saddle.

"I'm gonna make a map to keep track of _exactly_ where we've been." Sokka said, grabbing some paper and something to write with. "Then we should be able to solve it like a maze and get through." He walked ahead of the group, making marks on his map.

* * *

After walking around for an hour, the group came to another dead end, "Sokka, this is the tenth dead end you've led us to!" Katara said. Sokka turned his map upside-down and sideways to figure out what was going on.

"This doesn't make any sense, we already came through this way!" Sokka said, looking at the map. He started pacing around the area to figure out exactly where they were.

"We don't need a map." Chong said as Sokka walked around him, "We just need love. The little guy knows it." He pointed at Aang.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't mind a map also." Aang said. Sokka walked over to another wall and glared at it.

"There's something strange here." He said, then he rolled up his map, "There's only one explanation." He turned to face the group, deadly serious, "The tunnels are changing." Everyone froze as a small tremor went through the walls of the cave. Momo screeched and hid in Aang's shirt. Chong began to panic, grabbing at his hair and pacing nervously around the room.

"The tunnels… They're a changin'!" He moaned, "It must be the curse! I_ knew_ we shouldn't've come down here!"

"_Right_, if only we listened to you." Sokka drawled sarcastically. Hoshiko's ears twitched as she picked up an unusual sound.

"Everyone be quiet!" She commanded, everyone looked at her as her kept twitching one way and another, "Listen." Then she heard it again, a low, long, growling sort of sound that reverberated off of the walls of the cave. Momo flew from Sokka's shoulder as the sound grew louder. Sokka held the light closer to the dark tunnel he faced to see what the sound was. He jumped back when he saw a white, wrinkled, snout face come into view and fly over them, growling loudly at the creatures that had entered its territory. Everyone ducked back as it flew over them.

"Giant flying thing _with teeth_!" Chong yelled in fear. The creature landed to show that it was a four legged creature with black fur and wings tucked under its front legs.

"No! It's a wolf bat!" Moku cried, recognizing the creature. The wolf bat flew into the air, and flew over Sokka. To ward it off, he waved the flame of the torch at the creature to keep it away. In defending itself, the wolf bat kicked the torch out of Sokka's hands. It flew in the air before it landed on Appa's foot. In his pain, Appa reared back and began galloping around, roaring. The wolf bat ran away, and with good reason. Appa began running around, running into wall after wall in the cave, causing rocks to fall and threatening to crush them under the impact.

Aang, reacting quickly, used his air bending to blow the nomads, Sokka, and Hoshiko to safety and diving to protect Katara from the rocks. Aang's blast did save the group, but Hoshiko felt a few of the rocks fall on her back and she cried out when she landed on her back and skidded against the ground. When everything had quieted down, everyone looked to see the rocks had created a wall separating them from Aang, Appa, and Katara. In a desperate act to get back to them, Sokka began digging through the rocks with his hands. When he ran out of breath, Chong spoke up.

"Yeah, it's no use. We're separated." He said, "But at least you have us!"

Sokka let out a cry and began digging even harder, only to have a pile of rocks fall on top of him. Hoshiko struggled to stand, feeling a burning pain in her back. She used the cave wall as leverage to pull herself up. She looked over at Sokka and sighed.

"Come on, Sokka, get up." She said, "We need to get out of these caves as soon as possible." Sokka pulled himself out from the stone and stood up, dusting himself off, "Are we still sticking to the map plan?"

"Do we have a choice?" Sokka asked as he pulled out his map, "Come on, let's move." As they walked, Chong came up with the idea that playing music would make everything go along faster, or seem that way, at least. He strummed happily on his liuqin as he strung up a cheery tune that Usagi, Tokage, and Lily danced to. Moku provided the beat for the song as Chong sang.

"_Oh, don't let the cave-in get you down._

_Don't let the falling rocks turn your smile_

_Into a frown._

_When the tunnel's as dark as bats_

_When you need a clown! _

_Hey!_" He walked over next to Sokka, smiling.

"_Don't let the cave-in get you down, Sokka…_" Sokka scowled at him and kept walking as Chong kept singing lyrics that didn't make sense. Hoshiko felt a terrible, burning pain in her back as she kept walking. She kept getting slower and slower, until she was at the back of the group, the torch barely lighting up her form. She leaned against the cave wall and held her sides as she walked. Sokka and the others stopped in front of a rock wall, and it took her a minute to join them.

"Oh great!" Moku said, "Your plans have led us to another dead-end!" Sokka rolled up his map with a scowl on his face.

"At least _I'm_ thinking of ideas and _trying_ to get us out of here, _Moku_!" Sokka said, glaring at the fat drummer.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute." Chong said, "We're thinking of ideas? 'Cause I've had an idea for, like, an _hour_ now."

"_Yes_!" Sokka said irately, "We're _all_ thinking of _ideas_!"

"Well, then, listen to this," Chong said, "If love is the key out of here, then all we need to do is play a love song!" Everyone but Sokka and Hoshiko nodded in agreement as Chong began to strum the strings of his liuqin. Sokka face palmed and led the group down another tunnel, Hoshiko instantly falling behind. It was suddenly much harder to breathe and her feet seemed to weigh two tons each. She took in a sharp breath as a sudden pulse of pain went through her body. Her gasp wasn't heard over the sound of Chong's voice as he sang his love song.

"_Even if you're lost_

_You can't_

_Lose the love_

_Because it's in your heart!_

_Hum de dum dum~…_"

Hoshiko tried to take in a deep breath, but found her lungs beginning to burn from the effort. She grasped at her side again as another pulse went through and she stopped walking. She couldn't take another step. Momo noticed the absence of the Shinjun and looked to see her leaning against a rock with one hand, the other holding her sides as she stood on shaky legs, trying to take in deep breaths. He let out a screech and flew over to her. Sokka followed the lemur's path and his eyes widened when he saw Hoshiko in pain.

She fell to her knees and Sokka cried out, "Hoshiko!" And ran over to her. He knelt down, Usagi bringing the torch closer so they could see what was happening, "Hoshiko, what's wrong?"

She gasped as another pulse came, "I don't know…!" She said. Sokka put his hand on her back and pulled back when she cried out. Sokka looked to see the area where his hand had been was now becoming a red stain. He carefully maneuvered the collar of her shirt to see some of her scars had reopened and were shedding blood. "I think that cave-in opened up some old wounds…"

"All your scars…" He breathed, "Do any of you guys have medical stuff?" Lily nodded and pulled a small white pouch out.

"Here." She handed it to him and he opened it up. He pulled out some gauze and began to lift up Hoshiko's shirt. She pulled it back down and glared fiercely at him.

"_What do you think you're doing_?" She hissed.

"Helping you." Sokka replied bluntly, "If we want to cover all the wounds, your shirt has to come off. Underclothes, too." Hoshiko blushed at the idea of being half nude in front of so many people, but when another wave of pain came, she decided she didn't care, and nodded in assent. Sokka carefully pulled her shirt off and unwrapped the cloth on her chest. Hoshiko held it to her so she wouldn't be entirely naked from the waist up. Sokka took out some rubbing alcohol and started cleaning her wounds. Hoshiko hissed at the stinging sensation it caused. Sokka apologized softly and handed the gauze to Lily, saying it was probably better if she wrapped her up. Lily did so, wrapping up her wounds all the way up to her mid-upper-back. She carefully tied the gauze in a knot and helped her put her shirt back on. Hoshiko shakily stood and Sokka looked down at her wobbly legs.

"Get on my back." He said, stepping in front of her.

"Huh?" Hoshiko asked.

"You can't walk in that condition, so I'll carry you." Sokka explained, "Now get on." Hoshiko sighed and did as she was told, grabbing onto his shoulders and slipping her legs into his hands so he could piggyback her. He grunted at the effort, "Why are you so heavy?"

"How much did you expect me to weigh?" Hoshiko asked sarcastically. "Five ounces?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of five pounds." Sokka replied, just as sarcastic as she was. She was suddenly lifted from Sokka and into Tokage's arms.

"I got her, man. Don't worry." He said, "We reptilians are way stronger than we look." He started to carry her on his back as they kept going down the path. His hand under her rear, carrying her like she were a small child. Hoshiko blushed shamefully at the thought and asked him to at least piggyback her, so he did. Chong started playing music again and Hoshiko began to sway with Tokage as he danced to the music as best he could while carrying her.

About thirty minutes of straight walking she heard the same noise as before, the growl of a wolf bat, only this time, much louder. "Guys, stop!" She called, and everyone heard the sound of the growls. They looked into the darkness before them and saw a whole horde of wolf bats running to gain speed before they flew into the air. Everyone ducked past them, but Sokka stayed standing as the wolf bats flew over him. He screamed and flapped his arms around as they flew by him. When they had gone, Chong stood up.

"Hey! You saved us, Sokka!" He said.

"No, they were trying to get away from something!" Sokka exclaimed, seeing that was the only reason there could've been so many wolf bats in one place at one time.

"From what?" Chong asked. The walls of the cave shook as a tremor went through them, only this time, they saw the source as it crashed through the cave wall. It was a big badger mole. The wall behind them crashed open as another one came. They were trapped between two badger moles, one of the fiercest creatures in the world. The first badger mole used earth bending to seal off the pathway in front of them, and the other did the same on the opposite side. The first badger mole then used earth bending to create small dirty whirlwinds that separated Sokka from everyone else. In their shock, Tokage dropped Hoshiko, and Chong dropped his liuqin on the other side of the ditch the badger moles had made.

The second badger mole began to advance on Sokka, using earth bending to throw him back. Sokka began to crawl backwards to make some space between him and the giant furry creature, his hand touching Chong's liuqin and hitting one of the strings, causing a note to hang in the air. Sokka looked up as the badger mole stopped, tilting its head to the side curiously when it heard the sound. Thinking fast, Sokka picked up the liuqin and began to strum the same string over and over. The other badger mole came closer as they sniffed the teenager playing the instrument.

"Hey, those things are music lovers!" Chong cried happily as he saw their interest in his liuqin as Sokka began to sing to try and appease the creatures.

"_Badgermoles,_

_Coming toward me._

_Come on, guys,_

_Help me out!_" He looked helplessly to the nomads and Chong pulled out another liuqin and began to play a tune with a fast beat as Moku and Lily joined in with their own instruments as Chong sang,

"_The big, bad badger moles!_

_Who live in the tunnels,_

_Hate the wolf bats,_

_But love the sounds!_" Hoshiko slowly stood up and gazed at the two badger moles as they listened intently to Chong's music. A light went off in her head.

"Chong, keep playing that music! I've got an idea!"

* * *

Hoshiko scooted up behind Sokka as they rode on the badger mole's back. It was slowly getting them closer and closer to the exit they so desired. Finally they burst through a wall, on the other side Katara, Aang, and Appa were already out. Sokka and Hoshiko waved to them from their place on the animal's back.

"Sokka! Hoshiko!" Katara exclaimed happily. Sokka slid off the creature and stopped to catch Hoshiko as she did the same. Once she was on the ground, Sokka ran over to his sister and the avatar, Hoshiko wobbled over and was instantly embraced by Katara.

"How did you guys get out?" Sokka asked.

"Just like the legend says, you let love lead the way." Aang replied with a sheepish smile.

"Really?" Sokka asked, "We let huge, ferocious beasts lead our way." He and Hoshiko turned around, waving goodbye to the two badger moles as they went back into the cave. When they were gone, Aang ran over to the nomads and Katara hugged her brother. When she pulled back, she saw a big, red splotch on his forehead.

"Why is your forehead all red?" Katara asked, Hoshiko looked over and almost burst out laughing. It hadn't been too obvious in the cave, but out in the daylight, it was completely noticeable. Chong came over to the group and leaned in, talking in a quiet voice.

"Nobody react to what I'm about to tell you." He said, "I think that kid might be the avatar." He gestured to Aang as he talked to the other nomads. Sokka face palmed again and Chong squinted his eyes at the red spot that had now grown bigger. Hoshiko giggled.

"That's why." She said, pointing to Sokka.

"So, are you guys gonna come to Omashu with us?" Aang asked the nomads.

"Nope." Moku replied.

"Okay, thanks for everything, guys." Aang said, waving as they walked away.

Chong took his lei off from his neck and put it on Sokka. "Sokka, I hoped you learned a little something about not letting the plans get in the way of the journey." Chong said before he embraced him. Sokka scowled at the gesture, but Hoshiko caught a hint of red on his cheeks, was he embarrassed?

"Just play your songs." Sokka muttered.

"Hey! Good plan!" Chong said as he pulled away and began strumming on his liuqin, playing the same tune he had for the love song in the cave as he walked away.

"_Even if you're lost_

_You can't_

_Lose the love_

_Because it's in your heart!_

_Hum de dum dum~…_" As they walked further away, Sokka turned to his sister.

"Hey, Katara, can you take a look at Hoshiko's back?" He asked, "The cave-in opened up some of her scars and she's not doing so well."

Katara turned to her Shinjun friend and nodded.

"Oh, sure." She said, "Let me have a look at it." Hoshiko did so and pulled her shirt up, Aang and Sokka looking away as Katara undid the bandages, "Wow, this looks really bad."

"Hey, it could be worse." Hoshiko said as Katara began to use her water to bend the chi around her scars to close them.

"How?" Katara asked as the water swirled around her wounds.

"I could be dead." Hoshiko said. Katara said nothing as she healed Hoshiko's wounds. It only took a few minutes before the pain was gone.

"That's all I can do." She said, "I closed the wounds, but I didn't heal them completely." Hoshiko pulled her shirt back on and smiled as she stood.

"That's okay, this is fine." She began rolling her shoulders, "I feel a million times better."

"Well, if you're done, we can get going." Sokka said, walking down a path, "Omashu's this way, come on." He beckoned for them to follow him, and as he approached a valley, Aang said that Omashu was just beyond one of the hills. They walked up the pathway, Appa keeping the rear, as Sokka spoke, "The journey was long and annoying, but now you get to see what it's really about: The destination." As he came up to the hill, he smiled at the group, "I present to you, the Earth Kingdom city of O-" He stopped as he looked at the city, seeing smoke stacks come up from different buildings and making everything look smoggy. Bridges connected the city to the land on the other side of the canyon it stood over, at the front gate of the city was a big red tarp with the Fire Nation insignia on it, "Oh no…"


	7. Return to Omashu

7

The group stared at the city of Omashu. Aang stepped forward and looked at the city sadly.

"I can't believe it." Aang said, he turned to them, "I know the war has spread far, but Omashu always seemed… Untouchable." He looked back at the city sadly.

"Up until now, it was." Hoshiko said, "Now Ba-Sing-Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left." She crossed his arms over her chest as she looked at the city, glaring slightly.

"This is horrible." Katara said, walking up next to Aang, "But we have to move on."

"No." Aang said firmly, "I'm going in to find Bumi." He started walking towards the edge of the cliff.

"Aang, stop!" Sokka called, Aang stopped, "We don't even know if Bumi's still…" He trailed off, unable to say the words.

"What?" Aang asked, facing him, "If he's still what?"

"A-Around." Sokka said, not wanting to say that Bumi might be dead.

"I know you had your heart set on Bumi," Katara said, "But there are other people who could teach you earth bending."

"This isn't about finding a teacher." Aang said, looking back at the city, "This is about finding my friend."

* * *

"A secret passage?" Sokka said, looking at the tunnel that Aang was banging on with his staff. Sokka, Katara, and Hoshiko all wore black cloaks over their clothes. The tunnel was seventy feet below the city, and Hoshiko had a sneaking suspicion as to what it actually was, "Why didn't we just use this last time?" Aang's staff finally popped the grate off of the tunnel and a slimy, green substance burst out, covering Sokka's feet. Katara wasn't in the tunnels line of fire, and Hoshiko's quick reflexes allowed her to avoid it. Sokka let out a moan of distress as he looked down at his shoes.

"Does that answer your question?" Aang asked jokingly as he jumped into the tunnel. Sokka went after him, making a sound of disgust and holding his nose, trying not to puke from the smell. Katara followed him and Hoshiko after her. As they traversed through the tunnel, Aang used his air bending to clear the pathway in front of him, behind him, Katara used her water bending to bend the sewage away from her, Hoshiko used her shadow bending to scoop the sewage out of the way, making blocks for when it was about to hit her face or clothes. Sokka, who was at the end of the line, was continuously hit with the disgusting sludge as they traversed up the tunnel.

When they finally reached the end of the tunnel some few hours later, Aang took a quick look around through a crack in a man-hole. Seeing no one around, he flew out, Katara and Hoshiko climbing out after him.

"That wasn't as bad as I thought." Katara said as she brushed off any remnants of the sewage on her clothes.

"No kidding." Hoshiko agreed, wringing out some sewage water in her cloak. They heard squishing sounds and saw a green, sludge-covered being come out after them, moaning and holding out its arms. Katara quickly bent some water out of a nearby barrel and washed all the slime off of her brother, Sokka yelped when the water hit his skin. Aang sent a wave of air to dry him off, and Sokka cried out as his limbs flew back. When he stood still, the group could see three purple balloon-like creatures on his cheeks and on the back of his neck. Hoshiko almost squirmed in delight when she realized they were purple pentapi. They were her favorite aquatic creature because of their big, adorable eyes and tiny, squishy tentacles. They also tasted really, really good in the right sauce. Sokka shouted when he felt them sucking on his skin, trying to tug them off his face.

"They won't let go!" He yelled as he began to panic.

"Shh!" Aang hissed, blowing Sokka against a wall, "Stop making so much noise. It's just a purple pentapus." Sokka looked fearfully at the cephalopods as Aang and Hoshiko reached up gently tickled the heads of the pentapi on Sokka's cheek and neck. The two pentapi squeezed their eyes shut happily and curled their tiny tentacles up in their animalistic mirth, letting out a small squeal. Sokka rubbed at the red spots left from when they sucked on his skin. He got the last one off himself.

"Hey!" A deep voice called. The group looked to see three guards approaching. They quickly grouped together to hide Aang as he pulled the sash off from around his waist and turned it into a make-shift hat to hide his arrow tattoo. "What are you kids doing out past curfew?"

"Sorry." Katara said, "We were just on our way home." The four of them turned around, not noticing how the guard narrowed his eyes at the spots on the back of Sokka's neck.

"Wait! What's the matter with him?" The group stopped and realized the spots from the pentapus made it look like Sokka was sick.

"Uh… He has pentapox, sir." Katara said, turning her brother around to face him. The guard stepped forward to get a better look at Sokka, sticking out his hand to try and get a better look at the spots. "Um…! It's highly contagious!" The guard pulled his hand back. Sokka, suddenly getting the idea, began to moan and groan as if he were in pain.

"_Uweh_! I'm so awful, I'm dying!" He moaned out, walking towards the guards, making them back away, covering their faces with their hands.

"A-And deadly!" Hoshiko supplied, seeing his performance.

"Hey, I think I've heard of pentapox." The guard said, turning to another, "Didn't your cousin Chang die of it?" Sokka got closer to them and began coughing harshly. "We'd better go wash our hands, and burn our clothes!" The three of them ran off.

When they were out of sight, Aang pulled out a pentapus he didn't have time to put into water, "Thank you, sewer friend." Aang said, rubbing the top of its head. The pentapus gave another squeak as it curled up its tentacles. Hoshiko let out a girlish squeak as she looked at the creature.

"It's so _cute_!" She squealed, squirming a little. She looked down at the little creature, before looking back at Aang, "Are you going to eat it?" Aang looked at her in surprise.

"No…" He said slowly, Hoshiko smiled.

"Then can I have it?" She asked eagerly, Aang nodded and handed her the cephalopod. She rubbed the top of its head and let out another squeak as it curled up its tentacles.

"We can't keep it with us." Katara said, "We have enough pets as it is already."

"I know." Hoshiko said, "I just can't get over how _cute_ these things are!" She kissed the top of its head. When she pulled back she smacked her lips together, tasting whatever the creature had secreted onto her lips, "But, I guess you're right. We can't keep these things around." She opened her mouth and ate it head first, sucking in its tentacles quickly after with a loud slurping noise. She licked her lips happily once she felt it go down her throat. Aang, Katara, and Sokka all gave her incredulous looks. Hoshiko tilted her head to the side, one ear pointing up, the other sideways, as she looked at them in confusion. "What?"

* * *

The four of them ran through streets where the only people walking them were Fire Nation guards. They ran down one way and hid behind some construction supplies as two guards went by.

"Let's find Bumi and get out of here." Katara said, wary of all the guards around them.

"Where would they be keeping him?" Sokka asked.

"Somewhere he can't earth bend." Aang said, looking around them, "Somewhere made of metal."

"Well, that makes about half of this city." Hoshiko muttered sarcastically, "But, my guess is, they're probably keeping him in a metal coffin suspended high up from the ground."

"So we should check places up high?" Aang asked, Hoshiko nodded curtly.

"Our best chance would be to check the highest place in the city, at the very top." She said.

"I know where that is." Aang said, "Follow me." They did so, weaving around corners and walls to avoid any guards. They came near a wall that overlooked a small group below where four guards carried lanterns to two people. Hoshiko cautioned them to be quiet as they went by.

Her sharp ears picked up a tidbit of their conversation, "I thought my life was boring in the Fire Nation, but this place is unbearably bleak." A voice sounding like a teenage girl's said, "Nothing ever happens." Then she heard a rumbling sound and looked to see two large boulders coming down a slope, heading straight for the two people. Aang, not wanting to see them smashed to bits, used his air bending to turn the rocks into rubble, making a huge cloud of dust in the air that caught their attention.

"The resistance!" A voice called, instantly a teenage girl with long black hair ran forward, shooting knives out at them. Aang dodged it and the group ran from them. Two guards came after them and Hoshiko knocked them over the side of the wall with her shadow bending. The girl came up after them, shooting knives from her sleeve. She made a wall with her shadow bending to block it before she ran after the others. The girl followed her. When they had gotten a bit further from her, Aang brought down the wood for a piece of construction nearby. It stopped her from going any further, but didn't stop her from throwing her knives at him. She threw a spinning blade at him, and Aang blocked it by having it hit his staff instead of his body and ran. She threw out three more projectiles at them, but before they had a chance to hit, the floor beneath them fell, sending out more stone to replace what they had ridden on.

They looked up to see they were underground and surrounded by people clad in Earth Kingdom clothes. One man stepped forward, he was middle aged and a little tubby with a rounded face and dark beard. He wore an Earth Kingdom uniform and greeted them with a bow.

"Welcome." He greeted.

"I got five silver pieces that says you're the resistance." Hoshiko said, dusting herself off as she stood. The man nodded.

"And you would be right." He said, "I am Yung, of the Omashu resistance. We welcome you, avatar and friends."

"How could you tell?" Aang asked, taking the sash off his head and tying it around his waist.

"You're the spitting image of your wanted poster." A younger, taller man said with a smirk. Aang smiled sheepishly, "We'll offer you stay for the night if you wish."

"Thank you." Katara said, bowing. Yung began to lead them down the halls, taking them to where they kept the beds. As they walked to the room where they were, Aang looked up at Yung.

"So, is King Bumi with you guys?" He asked, silence fell upon the room they entered, "Is he leading the resistance?"

"Of course not!" Yung snapped, "The day of the invasion, we readied ourselves for battle. We were prepared to defend our city. To fight for our lives and for our freedom. But before we even had a _chance_, King Bumi surrendered." Aang's eyes widened at the thought of his friend surrendering to the Fire Nation, "The day of the invasion, I asked King Bumi what he wanted to do. He looked me in the eye and said, 'I'm going to do nothing!' and laughed. It doesn't matter anymore now, fighting the Fire Nation is the only path to freedom. And freedom is worth dying for."

"Actually, there's another path to freedom." Aang said, "You could leave Omashu. You're directing all your energy to fight the Fire Nation, but you're outnumbered, you can't win. Now's the time to retreat so you can live to fight another day."

"You don't understand!" Yung said, "They've taken our home, and we have to fight them at any cost!"

"I don't know, Yung." Said a portly man beside him, "Living to fight another day is starting to sound pretty good to me."

"Yeah, I'm with the kid!" Said the young man from before. Yung looked to see everyone in the underground base turn to one another, giving murmurs of agreement to fighting another day.

"Fine." Yung consented, "But there's thousands of citizens that need to leave! How're we gonna get them all out?"

"Suckers!" Sokka exclaimed, everyone gave him confused looks while he looked at them slyly, "You're all about to come down with a nasty case of pentapox."

* * *

"EEEEEEE!" Hoshiko squealed when Sokka and some other soldiers came back from the sewers with buckets of purple pentapi, "So _cute_!" She stared at the pentapi in Sokka's bucket before he quickly snatched them out of her gaze.

"These are _not_ for eating!" He told her, sounding like a man scolding his puppy for going on the carpet.

"Not _yet_, anyways." Hoshiko said with a sly grin that showed her elongated canines. Sokka gave her a disappointed look and set the bucket down.

"Okay, you know what?" He said as he pulled out a pentapus, "You get to be sucked on first." He planted one on her cheek then another two on her arms and one on the side of her neck.

"_Ew_! That feels weird!" Hoshiko squealed delightedly. She looked at the ones on her arm and smiled at them, "It's like a sloppy kiss, except with tons of tiny mouths."

"It just feels like they're sucking on me." Katara said, sounding somewhat disturbed as the creatures sucked on her skin. Hoshiko looked over to see her pentapi were in similar spots to her own.

"Obviously, you've never had a sloppy kiss." Hoshiko said, then a thought occurred to her and she looked at the young water bender, "Wait, have you _ever_ been kissed?" Katara blushed.

"O-Of course I have!" She stuttered.

"Who, when, where, and how was it?" Hoshiko asked, leaning in with a sly smirk on her face. Katara's blush deepened.

"Well…" She muttered, looking down at her fingers.

"Well?" Hoshiko egged.

"Well…" Katara sighed, "It was with this… _guy_. Sokka doesn't even know about it, yet."

"Who? Who? Who?" Hoshiko encouraged, wondering if she would make up a lie or not.

"His… His name is Jet." Katara said blushing, "It was on the lips when no one was looking. I had a big crush on him when we first met."

"Did the kiss last more than two seconds?" Hoshiko asked.

"No." Katara said, "It was just one second."

"So, it was just a peck." Hoshiko said, sounding somewhat disappointed. "Were you two together long?"

"He wasn't who I thought he was." Katara said darkly, "He tried to wipe out an entire town just because there were Fire Nation soldiers there."

"Oh, so you go for the bad boys, huh?" Hoshiko asked, her sly grin back. Katara gave her an incredulous look.

"_Hoshiko_!" She hissed abashedly, Hoshiko laughed and patted her shoulder.

"I'm just kidding, Katara." She said, "Relax." After an awkward pause, Katara spoke.

"So, have _you_ ever been kissed?" She asked, sounding a little shy.

"Yeah." Hoshiko said, "Lots of times."

"By different guys?" Katara asked, Hoshiko shook her head.

"No, just one." She said, "Just on lots of different occasions."

"Who was it?" Katara asked, she noticed how Hoshiko looked down sadly.

"His name's Kotaro…" She murmured, "Tell me, Katara, what do you know about Shinjun traditions and ceremonies?"

"I know about a few…" Katara answered unsurely, "But, what does that have to do with-"

"Hey, Hoshiko!" Sokka called, "Come here, I think you've been sucked on long enough!" She nodded and went over to him, Katara following. Sokka gently tickled the tops of each pentapus and pulling them off to reveal the red marks they left on her skin in little star-like designs before doing the same for Katara, "Yep, you guys look real sick."

"No kidding." Hoshiko said, stretching the skin on her arm to look at the red marks. Sokka smacked her hand away.

"Don't mess with it! Your spots might disappear faster!" He said, Hoshiko rolled her eyes.

"Fine." She said, she looked over as the portly man from before came over to them.

"Everybody's got pentapox now." He said, a small smile on his face, "Should we get going?"

"Not just yet." Sokka said, "Let me talk to them first." The man nodded and had everybody gather around Sokka so they could hear what he has to say, "The marks make you _look_ sick, but you gotta _act_ sick, too. You gotta sell it." An old man with a wooden leg and cane started walking by, moaning and groaning as he held his back. When he had passed, Sokka tossed his arm around a boy near his age that was standing next to him and pointed at the old man, "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

"Years of practice." The old man said with a grin, tapping his wooden leg with his cane.

"Okay, everyone!" Sokka called out, "Into sick formation!" Hoshiko followed him and the others as they started walking out to the gate, resembling something like zombies. When the guards saw the large group, they kept them back with their spears.

"Plague! Plague!" One of the guards shouted before all the others followed him inside the walls around the city gate. Another guard began banging a bell, signifying an emergency and that all guards needed to get indoors. A few minutes later, the gates opened up and the guards began to drive them out of the city, holding cloths to their faces as they ushered them through the gates. When they were about a mile from the city, everyone stopped the sick act and began walking and talking normally.

Hoshiko turned to Katara as they walked, "So where's Aang?"

"He said he wouldn't leave until he found Bumi." Katara said, "I'm sure he's fine." Hoshiko nodded once and they kept walking in silence, "So, what were you saying before?"

"About what?" Hoshiko asked.

"About Shinjun ceremonies and stuff." Katara said.

"Oh, right." Hoshiko said, "Do you know of the _hanbun tamashi_ ceremony?"

"Isn't that the second most sacred tradition for Shinjun tribes?" Katara asked, "It's where two souls are bonded together for eternity, right?"

"Yes." Hoshiko confirmed, "The boy I kissed… He's my _hanbun tamashi_."

"Oh." Katara said, "Did you like him?"

"A lot." Hoshiko said, "But we weren't old enough for marriage, the holiest of all holies, so we decided having our souls bonded together for eternity was just as good."

"Then why isn't he here with you?" Katara asked, "I mean, if you're bonded together for eternity…"

"I think that should be obvious." Hoshiko said, when she looked at the pitiful expression on Katara's face, she snapped, "He's not dead!"

"Oh." Katara looked relieved, "Then, where is he?"

"I don't know." Hoshiko said, "We were sold to different masters. As far as I know, he's still somewhere in the Fire Nation." She sighed and looked down at the terrain beneath her feet as she walked, "There's not one day that goes by that I don't pray to see him again."

"You will." Katara said, Hoshiko snapped her head to her to see the encouraging smile on her face, "I'm certain that you will, if your souls are bonded for eternity, then you will find each other again." Hoshiko smiled gratefully at her.

"Thank you, Katara." She said.

* * *

Hoshiko, Katara, and Sokka rested around a fireplace in the camp the Omashu resistance had made for all their people. They looked up as Aang, alongside a gorilla goat, came forward. They all ran up to him and he looked at them sadly.

"We looked everywhere." He said, "No Bumi." Katara wrapped her arms around the young air bender to comfort him. The gorilla goat gave a sad whimper, and Sokka hugged its face, since it was the only thing his arms could remotely fit around. Hoshiko looked at the creature warily, and Aang saw her confusion, "Don't worry, Hoshiko. This is Flopsy, he's Bumi's pet."

"Uh-huh…" Hoshiko said, nodding slowly. She shrieked when Flopsy licked her with his large, pink tongue, "_Eeyuch!_ Gross!" She glared at the creature as she wiped off the slime, but when his big, green eyes looked back at her, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the animal. She reached out and petted his head, "I guess you could be worse." The gorilla goat, obviously happy with her answer, swept her up in his big arms and licked her again, "Okay! Okay!" He put her back down and she wiped the saliva off of her.

"We have a problem." Yung said as he came up to the group, "We just did a headcount."

"Oh, no. Did someone get left behind?" Katara asked worriedly.

"No." Yung replied, "We have an extra." He pointed his finger in the direction of Momo, who was dragging a two-year-old boy around as he latched onto his neck. The boy was obviously Fire Nation.

"Oh boy…" Hoshiko muttered, she pulled the child off the lemur's neck and pulled him into her arms, "Where'd you come from, little guy?" The baby laughed adorably and pulled his arms above her head, latching onto her ear and tugging, "Ow! Hey!" He pulled away and laughed again, Hoshiko sent the baby a dry look before holding him out at arms length to Katara. "Katara, you take him. I'm not good with kids under age five." She took the boy out of his arms and held him as they walked back to the fire they made. Flopsy lay down near Appa and rested by the warm fire. Katara put the boy down on the ground and he started walking after Momo, who obviously didn't like the baby. He flew onto Aang's shoulders and as the baby fell on his bottom. He had landed in front of Sokka's club and took an interest in its unusual design.

He stuck it in his mouth and Sokka snatched it out of his hands, "No!" He scolded sharply, "Bad Fire Nation baby!" The baby began to cry because he couldn't play with Sokka's weapon. Katara sent him a glare and slapped his head, "Oh, alright." He consented, he handed the baby back his club and he instantly stopped crying and began to fiddle with it. Katara bent down and hugged the baby's shoulders.

"Oh, you're so cute!" She cooed in a baby voice before kissing his pudgy cheek.

"Sure, he looks cute now." Yung said as Katara held the baby up and he began to practice walking as his feet brushed against the ground, seemingly perfectly comfortable. "But when he's older, he'll join the Fire Nation army. You won't think he's so cute then." He'll be a killer."

Katara held up the baby to him, "Does that look like the face of a killer to you?" She asked, not noticing the baby's discomfort at being held that way. Yung looked at Katara, his eyes sad.

Hoshiko looked up as a screeching sound was heard above them and saw a brown hawk land a few feet away from the campsite. "A messenger hawk!" Yung said. Hoshiko went over to the hawk and it jumped on her arm. She took the letter out from the cartridge on its back and was surprised to see a Fire Nation insignia on it. She unrolled it and walked back to the group.

"It's from the Fire Nation governor." She said as she read the letter, "He thinks we kidnapped his son. So, he want's to make a trade… His son for King Bumi." She looked up at Aang and saw his eyes wide.

* * *

Hoshiko looked up as the light of dawn began to pour in from the skies. Sokka and Katara were standing next to her as they waited by Appa. Aang came down from the hill that led to the campsite, the two-year-old baby boy asleep in his arms.

"You realize we're probably walking right into a trap." Sokka said as he came down.

"I don't think so." Aang said, shifting the baby's weight in his arms, "I'm sure the governor wants his son back as much as we want Bumi." He looked down at the baby's sleeping form and smiled, "It's a new day. I have a good feeling about this."

"I don't." Hoshiko said, "This just seems way too easy, something's bound to happen."

"Don't say that." Aang said as he flew up onto Appa's saddle, the others following him, "Starting off on a journey when you're miserable isn't what we normally do around here."

"I'm just saying I agree with Sokka." Hoshiko said as she put her hands up defensively, "It's probably a trap, so I think we should at least be cautious."

"Okay, we will." Aang said, "Yip yip!" He snapped Appa's reigns and he flew into the air.

"You know," Sokka began, "I bet you just jinxed us." Hoshiko rolled her eyes.

"Shut up."

* * *

The four of them stood at the meeting place designated in the letter. It was the highest point in the city, a place where a giant statue of Fire Lord Ozai was being built. They looked as they saw three girls come forward. The one on the left was a slim, cheerful looking girl with long brown hair in a high braid and dressed all in pink. In the middle was a girl with black hair with two buns on each side of her head and long hair being let down from each of them, she was dressed in dark Fire Nation attire and looked very gloomy. The one on the right was a girl dressed in traditional Fire Nation garb, with her brown hair in a high topknot with some loose hairs coming down and framing her face, her eyes were sharp, and Hoshiko decided she immediately didn't like her.

They looked up as a metal coffin was lowered down from up top. Inside was an old man, who laughed and snorted at the same time as he came closer, "Hi everybody!" He called. Aang smiled at the sight of his friend. The coffin was lowered behind the gloomy girl where he stayed put for the time being.

"You brought my brother?" She asked.

"He's here." Aang called back, "We're ready to trade." The baby boy, who was held by Sokka at the moment, was reaching up and patting Sokka's face. The next few words were spoken as only incoherent murmurs to everyone but Hoshiko.

"I'm sorry, but a thought just occurred to me." Said the girl in traditional garb, "Do you mind?"

"Of course not, Princess Azula." The gloomy girl said. Hoshiko stiffened at once. She was the princess of the Fire Nation! She was supposed to be a fire bending prodigy, the only bender in the nation that has enough 'oomph' to her bending that the fire is blue. She had never seen her before, so it's no wonder she didn't recognize her, but still…

"We're trading a two-year-old for a king." She looked up at Bumi, "A powerful earth bending king?" Bumi nodded in confirmation, and Azula turned back to the other girl, "It just doesn't seem like a fair trade, does it?" The gloomy girl looked to the group, eying her brother as she took the princess's words into consideration.

"You're right." She said finally, making a satisfied, yet malicious, grin come to the princess's face. The gloomy girl stepped forward and called, "The deal's off!" She lifted her hand and the coffin that held Bumi went back up into the air.

"_Whoa_! Heh heh. See you all later!" Bumi called as he was reeled back up, laughing.

"Bumi!" Aang exclaimed and began to run after him. Azula shot out blue flames his way to stop him, but he used his air bending to jump up and land against the walls of the construction site. As he jumped off, he opened up his glider, but his sash/hat came off in the process, so he caught it in his mouth.

"The avatar!" Azula gasped, seeing the arrow tattoo on his forehead. As Aang glided up to the rising coffin, she smirked wickedly, "My lucky day." She ran into the construction site, using her fire to cut a rope that held a heavy weight. She grabbed onto the rope's end and began to ride it up to the top where she would meet Aang when he landed on King Bumi's metal coffin.

The two other girls started to run toward them, one disappeared under the boards, the other brought some knives out of her sleeve. Katara and Hoshiko took defensive positions against the two.

"We've gotta get the baby out of here!" Katara said. Hoshiko looked to see Sokka blowing a whistle in the shape of a bison.

"Way ahead of ya." He said. They began to run toward the ladder they had come up, when Sokka suddenly fell and landed on his back with a yelp as he skidded towards the edge. He stopped just short of the end with the baby still clutched in his arms. It turns out, the pink girl had punched his foot from a hole in the boards they stood on. She began to cartwheel towards him, but Hoshiko pulled up an inky stream from the ground and wrapped it around her ankle, making her fall so Sokka could easily escape down the ladder nearby. The pink girl turned to Hoshiko and began to run at her. Hoshiko kept the stream up as she used it like a whip to hit the pink girl in different places on her exposed skin.

She was hit several times, but still came running. Hoshiko had some shadow go down to trip her, but she jumped and flipped over her head. When she hit the ground, she grabbed Hoshiko's tail and tugged to try and get her off her feet. Hoshiko shrieked when her tail was pulled, because it was a very sensitive part of her body. She whirled around, her cheeks red with fury and tried to bring down a stream of shadow on the pink girl, but she rolled away. Hoshiko brought up more black shadow and started trying to stab her, but she dodged agilely.

The girl squatted and tried to sweep her feet under the Shinjun, she dodged, but she still fell over. Hoshiko's anger at the girl finally got the best of her, and she began to see red. She wasn't aware that her eyes began to change from their normal blue to a bright white, and the rest of her eyes turned black. She let out a roar, showing her elongated canines, and the girl faltered, slightly afraid at this new show of power. Hoshiko brought up a gigantic wave of shadow and shot it at her. The girl, seeing no way to dodge the wide, inky black wave, began to run in the opposite direction to the edge. She yelped as the shadow pushed her over, but she nimbly grabbed onto a pole beneath her and swung herself up so she wouldn't fall.

Once she was gone, Hoshiko's eyes changed back to their original color and she groaned, putting her hand to her head as she felt the beginnings of a headache. She looked over at Katara, who was fighting the gloomier girl. Katara shot a stream of water at her, and she bent backwards, lifting her leg in the air and shooting a knife out of a cartridge on her ankle. Katara brought up some water and froze it so the knife wouldn't hit her. She ran at Katara, about to fire another knife from the cartridge in her arm, but Katara shot out another stream and enclosed her arm in it and froze the water. She tried to break it with her hand, but it was no good. Neither of the two benders saw the pink girl from before climb up the pole and jumped to the other and pushed off so she could reach Katara in fewer footsteps. She jabbed two places in her shoulder, and one place in her arm before she did the same to Hoshiko and jumped back. Katara's ice turned to water and fell to the ground and Hoshiko's shadow disappeared. They both tried to bend it back up, but no shadow approached Hoshiko and only lumps of water came up for Katara and they both realized they couldn't bend anymore. The gloomy girl smirked at them.

"How're you gonna fight without your bending?" She taunted and released a three-pronged knife from her sleeve. She held it up, about to throw it at them, when a boomerang knocked it out of her hands.

"I seem to manage!" Sokka said from his spot on Appa. He landed Appa in front of Katara and Hoshiko and Appa brought his tail down, making a powerful wind to blow back the two girls they had been fighting against. Katara and Hoshiko climbed on and they began to fly down to find their air bending friend. Katara looked at the chutes and saw two streams of dirty dust from two people sliding down it. One was Aang lying on top of Bumi's metal coffin, and the other was Azula on a container that was normally used for mail.

"There's Aang!" Katara shouted, pointing at him.

"We can catch him!" Sokka said, he had Appa go faster so they could catch up to him as Azula shot blue fire at the avatar, and he blocked it with air bending.

"Hang on, Bumi!" He said to his friend, "Our ride's here!" Once they got close enough, while dodging Azula's fire, Aang air bended the coffin up so it would land on the saddle, but it went too high and it went over the saddle instead if in it. It flew over them and landed on another chute. Azula went after them, shooting a ring of fire at the avatar, but Bumi saw it coming, and lifted his head as a rock shot out of the ground to stop the fire. Azula gasped and jumped off the container as it crashed into the rock and glared down at the metal coffin as it kept going down the chute.

"You could earth bend?" Aang asked, "All along?"

"Well, they didn't cover my face!" Bumi said, he brought up his head again and another rock appeared at the end of the chute. The metal coffin went upright as it landed on it and Aang jumped off and faced him.

"I don't understand." He said, looking up at the earth bending king, "Why didn't you free yourself? Why did you surrender when Omashu was invaded? What's the matter with you, Bumi?"

"Listen to me, Aang." Bumi said in a calm voice, "There are options in fighting called 'Jin'. It's a choice of how you direct your energy."

"I know!" Aang said, holding up fingers as he listed the two Jins. "There's Positive Jin when you're attacking and Negative Jin when you're retreating."

"And Neutral Jin!" Bumi added, "When you do nothing!"

"There are three Jins?" Aang asked, confusedly adding an extra finger to his list.

"Well, technically there are eighty five, but let's just focus on the third." Bumi said, "Neutral Jin is the _key_ to earth bending. It involves listening and waiting for the right moment to strike."

"That's why you surrendered, isn't it?" Aang asked.

"Yes, and it's why I can't leave now." Bumi said, Aang turned away sadly.

"I guess I need to find someone else to teach me earth bending." Aang said.

"Your teacher will be someone who has mastered Neutral Jin." Bumi said, "You need to find someone who waits and listens _before_ striking." Momo flew in and landed on Aang's shoulder. Aang turned happily and grasped his hand around Momo's tiny paw.

"Hey Momo!" He greeted happily.

"Momo's mastered a few Jins himself!" Bumi said, Momo's only response was a loud screech. "Goodbye, Aang. I'll see you when the time is right." Using earth bending, he brought himself down and rolled back up the chute, laughing and cackling the whole way. Aang watched him with a sad smile.

He turned around when he heard Appa give a low grunt and saw Hoshiko, Katara, and Sokka waiting for him on a flying bison. Sokka still held the baby in his arms when Aang got on.

"Where's Bumi?" Katara asked.

"He said I needed to find someone else to teach me earth bending." Aang said, he looked down and saw the baby in Sokka's hold.

"What're we gonna do with this guy?" Sokka asked, "'Cause we are _not_ traveling around with a baby."

"The only thing we _can_ do." Hoshiko said, gently taking the baby into her arms, the baby looked up at her and patted her cheek before laughing happily. She smiled softly down at the child, both at his cuteness, and at the happiness that he wasn't tugging on her ears.

* * *

Aang looked over the rooftop of the governor's house. He and his wife held each other and were looking out at the dark city, obviously worried about their son. Aang quietly flew down from the roof with air bending and landed behind them where they wouldn't see him. He lifted the baby out of his arms and the baby cooed happily at the sight of his parents. He put the baby on the ground and let the baby waddle towards his parents. His coos got their attention and they turned around, their faces beaming at the sight of their baby boy.

"Tom-tom!" The mother said joyously, sweeping her son into her arms and crying happily. Aang smiled at the sight of the family reunited, and flew back up into the air, where everyone waited for him on Appa.

* * *

**Chapter 7! I felt like I've kind of been rushing through chapters lately...**

**Maybe that's why I haven't gotten any reviews on this story?**

**If I got at least ONE REVIEW I would be very happy and would finish the next chapter faster.**

**If this story has any suckishness, I want to know about it.**

**ONE REVIEW!**

**Pretty please?**


	8. The Swamp

8

Hoshiko leaned back on the saddle of the giant bison. They had left Omashu yesterday, and they were still traveling. Hoshiko watched as Momo scurried around the saddle, peeking over the edge to see the land they flew over. Hoshiko looked over as well, looking down at the swampy lands below. Katara was going over a water bending scrolls and Sokka was sharpening his machete with a rock. It had been straight flying for hours, so everyone was a bit bored. Aang looked down at the swamp, seeing the sunlight reflect off the water through the trees. He kept staring at the water, not really focusing on anything he saw.

Sokka looked around when he saw the clouds around them changed direction from a horizontal flow to a diagonal one. He looked down at the swamp then back at Aang, "Hey, you taking us down for a reason?" He asked. Hoshiko and Katara looked around at his words, seeing that they were indeed descending, Aang didn't respond until Sokka demanded, "Aang! Why are we going down?"

He seemed to snap out of his trance, "What?" He asked, rubbing his eyes, "I didn't even notice."

"Are you noticing _now_?" Sokka asked. Katara and Hoshiko came up closer to Aang.

"Is something wrong?" Katara asked.

"I know this is gonna sound weird, but," Aang began, "I think the swamp is… _calling_ to me."

"Is it telling you where we can get something to eat?" Sokka asked, holding his stomach as he looked down at the swamp.

"No, I…" Aang said, "I think it wants us to land there."

"No offense to the swamp," Hoshiko said, leaning over the saddle and looking at the swamp, "But I don't see any land there to land _on_."

"I don't know." Aang said, "Bumi said to learn earth bending I'd have to wait and listen. And now I'm actually _hearing_ the earth. Do you want me to ignore it?"

Sokka looked over the saddle and down at the swamp Momo doing the same, "Yes."

"I don't know." Katara said, "There's something ominous about that place." Momo shrunk back from the swamp with a whimper, and Appa let out a loud grunt.

"See? Even Appa and Momo don't like it here." Sokka said.

"Okay, since everyone feels so strongly about this," Aang looked down at the swamp, "Bye swamp. Yip yip!" He whipped the reigns on Appa and the bison took off. The group heard whirring and crunching sounds behind them as they moved. Sokka turned around and saw a giant tornado moving towards them.

"You better throw in an extra 'yip'!" he said, "We gotta move!"

Aang reacted instantly, having Appa swerve one way and another to avoid the whirlwind, but it seemed to follow them wherever they flew. Finally, the tornado got close enough to them that the winds were able to pick up Sokka. Hoshiko reached out and grabbed his arm with both hands, forgetting that in order to make him stop flying she needed to grab onto something. Katara grabbed the Shinjun's leg while grabbing onto the saddle. Aang, abandoning his position on Appa's head and jumping onto the saddle, using air bending to create a protective air bubble around the bison. Sokka and Hoshiko fell back onto the saddle as the air bending created a different flow of air so it wasn't so powerful. Since no one was directing Appa, they flew right into the tornado. Aang kept the bubble around them but he couldn't keep it up forever, so the bubble 'popped' and everyone went flying.

The tornado spat out Hoshiko, Sokka, Katara, and Aang a few feet away, and sent Appa and Momo in another direction. Everyone but Aang splashed into the swamp water when they landed. Everyone stood and looked around, seeing that they were surrounded by mossy trees with hundreds of leaves and vines growing around them.

"Where's Appa and Momo?" Aang asked, looking around. Nervous for his pets, he used air bending to climb up a tree to call out for them, but he saw nothing, not even the tornado that got them there. As the rest of them tried to get less disoriented, Hoshiko looked over at Sokka and saw something she had only read about in books.

"Sokka, you've got an elbow leech." Katara said, pointing at it.

"_Where?_!_ Where?_!" Sokka cried, turning around in a panic.

"Where do you think?" Katara asked dryly. Sokka looked down at his elbow and glared at the leech as he grabbed it around its long mouth and easily yanked it off.

"Why do things keep _attaching to me?_!" He demanded as he threw it behind him, almost hitting Hoshiko.

"Maybe it's because they find you tasty and delicious." She said sarcastically. Sokka glared at her as he rubbed his elbow. Aang flew back down to the group, landing on a nearby tree root.

"You couldn't find them?" Katara asked him.

"No. And the tornado…" He paused unsurely, "It just disappeared." Everyone looked at him wide-eyed as they looked around the swamp. Why would a tornado form so suddenly only to vanish just as fast?

"We should probably get out of here." Hoshiko said, looking around at the trees, "This place gives me types of heebie-jeebies I didn't know I could get."

"I'm with you." Aang said, "Let's find Appa and get going."

The group began trudging through the waters of the swamp, more than once having to stop because something got stuck to them in the water, or because someone's foot got stuck in the muck they walked on. When they encountered a wall of plants, they attempted to go around it. After a while, Sokka's impatience got the better of him, and he pulled out his machete and began slicing away at a wall of vines.

"We better speed things up!" He said before he sliced at the vines again.

"Maybe we should be a little nicer to the swamp." Aang said cautiously.

"Aang, these are just plants!" Sokka said, "Do you want me to say 'please' and 'thank you' as I swing my machete back and forth?" He swung at the plants again, getting more of them out of his way.

"Maybe you should listen to Aang." Katara said, "Something about this place feels… alive."

"I'm sure there are lots of things that are _alive_ here." Sokka said, "And if we don't wanna wind up getting eaten by them, we need to find Appa as fast as we can." He slashed at the vines again and everyone followed him through the pathway he made. Hoshiko heard a rustling sound and looked behind them, her eyes quickly scanned the trees and their branches. Seeing no movement, she shrugged it off as her own paranoia and followed the others.

"Oh hey!" Sokka said, as if he had just figured something out, "Hoshiko!" She looked over at him, "Can't you track Appa with your shadow bending?" She shook her head.

"No, I can only track on land." She said, "Swampy marshlands are no good, and I can't track anything when I'm waist deep in swamp muck." She gestured to the waist-high water they all stood in.

"Oh yeah, right." Sokka said, going back to chopping at the leaves.

* * *

As they went deeper into the swamp, the darker it got, and it wasn't because of the thickness of the branches above them, it was getting late. Finally, it got to be to a point where the moon had risen, and they were still out searching for their bison friend.

"Appa!" Katara called through the darkness, "Momo!"

"There's no way they can hear us and no way we can see them." Sokka said as they traversed up a tree root, "We'll have to make camp for the night." A few bugs began to buzz around his head and bite him. He slashed furiously at them with his machete, and stopped when Hoshiko brought up a ball of shadow around the bugs and threw them in another direction, "Thanks." She nodded back at him.

They heard a bubbling sound and then a low hiss before seeing something rise out of the water.

"What was that?" Katara asked fearfully.

"Nothing. Just swamp gas." Sokka said, "Look, there's nothing supernatural going on here." The group grimaced as the scent from the swamp gas reached their noses. Everyone jumped as a horrible shriek was heard, huddling together in fear as they heard it again. "I think we should build a fire." Sokka said before darting off to the nearest tree, which had been hollowed out over time, and chopping off a log of one of its old roots.

"Sokka, the longer we're here, the more I think you shouldn't be doing that." Aang said.

"No, I asked the swamp, it said this was fine. Right, swamp?" Sokka said sarcastically before grabbing the top of an old root and saying in a puppet-like voice, "_No problem, Sokka_!" Aang sent him a dry look that said he was not amused. Sokka ignored it as he chopped off the part he had been using as a puppet and proceeded to get more logs from the dead roots. He made a fire in the hollowed-out tree and everyone gathered around it. Katara looked out to the swamp behind them and turned back to the fire.

"Does anyone else get the feeling that we're being watched?" She asked.

"Yeah, _I'm_ watching you." Hoshiko said sarcastically. Katara gave her the same dry look Aang had given Sokka.

"_Please_, we're all alone out here." Sokka said before swinging his machete at a fly that buzzed around his head. Suddenly, a bright light came from the fly as it buzzed further away from them into the swamp, where the light reflected off the eyes of other creatures surrounding them.

"Except for them." Aang said fearfully as he and Katara huddled close.

"Right, except for them." Sokka said, huddling next to Hoshiko. She gave him a dry look before pushing him off, "Hey!"

"Huddle with your sister, not me!" Hoshiko said, wrapping her arms around her legs and pulling them close. Sokka saw her pupils turn a glowing green color as she looked out into the swamp, "There's _nothing_ out there, just a few harmless birds and a couple stork monkeys."

"How can you tell?" Katara asked, Hoshiko pointed to her green pupils.

"_Hello!_ Night vision." She said, "All us Panther Shinjuns can see in the dark, so long as I'm here on lookout or whatever, we'll be fine." She turned back to the fire and everyone waited in a silence.

Eventually, as the fire died out, everyone began to fall asleep, leaning against someone else's back. As the night turned to early morning, everyone was fast asleep, so no one noticed long green vines slithering up to them and coiling around their bodies like a serpent until they jerked them awake and pulled them off in different directions. Hoshiko was dragged against the swamp floor, she clawed at the ground to try and stop, but that was no good. So she dug her heels into the earth and forced the vines to bring her to her feet. She wriggled her way out and chopped them away from her with shadow bending, using her shadow as something of a knife, fighting them off with one slice after another. When no more seemed to come, she ran off in the opposite direction, through the water and jumping over tree roots.

When she finally came to a stop, she saw the morning light rise, showing her the swamp and all its plants. She looked around and saw that she was alone.

"You gotta be kidding me."

* * *

"AANG!" Hoshiko called, "KATARA!" She looked around through the fog and saw a figure with a little ponytail, "_Finally_! Sokka!" The figure turned to her, but she could only see his silhouette, "Sokka, that is you, right?" She got closer, "Thank the spirits I found you! I've been wandering around this swamp for…" As she got closer, she saw the figure was actually shorter than Sokka, with white hair and not dark, wearing a blue tunic and blue pants, with white wolf ears on the top of their head. "Hours…" The figure turned to her and her breath caught in her throat. It was Kotaro, exactly as she remembered him, his little stub of a ponytail at the base of his neck, his dark marble eyes looking right into hers. He was the same fourteen-year-old she last saw him as. He smiled at her, showing his fangs in his teeth, but it didn't scare her.

"Impossible…" She breathed, she was frozen to the spot. She stared at him and he stared back, still smiling. She felt tears prick at her eyes and she moved closer to him. She lifted a hand out to touch his face, but he suddenly ran off, "Hey! Wait!" She heard him laughing as she chased after him, "Kotaro, please! Wait!" She kept running after him, never losing sight of him, not even when he turned sharp corners, she kept her eyes on his tail before he ran off and she turned the corner after him. "Kotaro!" She called. She was running out of energy, she couldn't keep running for much longer. Finally, she turned a corner and saw him standing on a tree root a few feet away. She ran towards him, and it was only when she was able to see the entire body that she realized that it wasn't Kotaro, but Sokka. She skidded to a stop before she crashed into him, and he looked at her.

"Hoshiko!" Sokka exclaimed, obviously happy to see someone else.

"Sokka." Hoshiko said, "Are you okay?"

"I should be asking you that!" Sokka said, Hoshiko looked down and saw her pants were covered in mud and muck from all the running after an imaginary figure.

"I'm fine." She dismissed, "Don't worry about it." They heard shouts and two beings came crashing into them, knocking them onto another giant tree root. They looked up and saw it was Katara and Aang.

"What do you guys think you're doing?" Sokka demanded, standing. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"Well, I've been wandering around looking for you!" Katara shot back.

"I was chasing some girl." Aang said as he used air bending to stand up.

"What girl?" Katara asked.

"I don't know." Aang said as he helped her up, "I heard laughing and then I saw some girl in a fancy dress."

"Well, there must be a tea party here and we just didn't get out invitations!" Sokka said sarcastically.

"I thought I saw Mom." Katara said, everyone's eyes went wide as she said these words, because they all knew Katara and Sokka's mom was dead.

"I saw my _hanbun tamashi_, Kotaro." Hoshiko said.

"Look, we're all just scared, and hungry, and our minds were playing tricks on us." Sokka said, "That's why we all saw things out here."

"You saw something, too?" Katara asked, Sokka turned away from them.

"I thought I saw Yue." He said quietly, "But that doesn't prove anything!" He turned back to them, "Look, I think about her all the time! And you saw Mom, someone you miss a lot. You saw your little soul mate guy, and you miss him, too."

"_Hanbun tamashi_ means 'half soul,' not soul mate!" Hoshiko corrected, Sokka rolled his eyes in response.

"Same thing." He said dismissively.

"It is not!" Hoshiko insisted.

"What about me?" Aang asked, "I didn't know the girl I saw. And all our visions led us right here."

"Where is here, exactly?" Hoshiko asked, "The middle of the swamp?"

"Yeah…" Aang said, turning around to face the gigantic tree whose roots they stood on, "The center… It's the heart of the swamp. It's been calling us here. I knew it!"

"It's _just_ a tree!" Sokka said, "It can't call _anyone_! For the last time, there's nothing after us! And there's nothing magical happening here!"

Suddenly, a gigantic, beast rose from the swamp water with a wooden mask for a face. Everyone screamed and ran away from the beast. It shot out its arm and it lengthened so it could grab onto Sokka's leg and pull him up. He brought his arm down again and again, making Sokka splash into the water. Aang shot out a sharp slice of air at it to cut off its arm and make it drop him. The monster then shot out its other arm at Aang and threw him back. Sokka kept chopping at the vines that held him, not seeing the monster bring up more vines to recreate its arm until it grabbed him again. He shot off in the water, Katara went after it with her water bending, and shot out a powerful stream of water at its shoulder so it would release her brother, but it didn't do any good because the shoulder began to regenerate.

Hoshiko ran up to bring up shadow but they never came. She couldn't bend the shadows under the water. She dodged its arm when it tried to crush her to run up to a tree branch, but it caught her and threw her in a different direction. She shrieked and dug her claws into the bark of a tree she hit. She let out an animalistic growl and brought up the shadows that hung around the tree to wrap around her body, covering her arms, legs, face and torso. When she was completely covered, her crystalline blue eyes were the only thing you could recognize about her, because she didn't look like herself, now she looked like a panther, only her skin moved around with black tentacles coming out from the inky darkness. She let out a roar and ran over to Katara.

"Katara!" She called out, she looked at her in shock, "I can't bend shadows in the water. Bend up enough water to make a dry path for me!" The monster brought up its arm, but before it could bring it down, Katara bent up a wave of water and pushed the monster back against a tree branch, still holding Sokka in its grasp. She bent up a dry pathway and Hoshiko pounced into it and charged at the monster. Before she could pounce on it, the monster stuck out its stomach and a third arm came out and pushed her away, making her fly off into the swamp past Aang as he came back. The third arm pushed him back as well before he could make an attack. The monster put Sokka into the third arm and began to engulf him into his stomach. Sokka tried to cut through the thick vines, but his arms and legs were quickly held back.

Aang, riding his air scooter, went up to the top of the monster's body and used air bending to create a whirlwind around it to mangle its body. Sokka was still visible through the vines, and Katara used her water bending to freeze the vines around Sokka, then she brought up a huge stream of water and pushed him out of the monster's body. The monster brought up more vines to regenerate the hole that was made in its body. It began to move toward Katara and Sokka.

Hoshiko, still looking like a shadowy panther, leaped from the trees and landed on the monster's head, making it fall forward. She jumped off its head, turning back to her more human form and stood in front of it, taking the shadows that once surrounded her body to hang above her arms, ready to fight. The monster used its arm to make her fly back and land into the water a few feet away. Katara saw this and glared at the monster before bending up paper thin slices of water and using them as giant watery blades to slice the monster into different bits. It was too fast for the creature to react in any offensive form, so it took a defensive one. As one slice cut through the torso, and the group saw the silhouette of a man's body for one moment before he bent up more vines to cover the 'wound' on the body.

"There's someone in there!" Sokka said, "He's bending the vines!" Katara brought up another stream of water and used it to slice off the top half of its head, and have it slide to the water. Since the body was no longer a body, Katara thought she had won, but more vines came up from the water and wrapped around her and pulled her up and away from it. Aang jumped out of the trees and shot a powerful blast of air at it, making the vines fall back into the water.

"Why did you call me here if you just wanted to kill us?" Aang demanded.

"Wait!" A voice called out. The vines moved to reveal a portly, middle-aged man with gray hair that fanned out into something like an umbrella shape with a moustache and beard on his face, he wore nothing but a type of leafy underwear, "I didn't call you here." The group shared uneasy glances.

"We were flying over and I heard something calling to me, telling me to land." Aang said.

"He's the avatar." Sokka said, "Stuff like that happens to us _a lot_."

"The avatar?" The man repeated, "Come with me." The group shared another glance and followed the man as he led them up a few tree roots to a place near the giant stump of the tree.

"So, who're you?" Hoshiko asked as they walked up.

"I protect the swamp from folks that want to hurt it." The man said as he bent a vine out of their path, "Like this fella with his big knife." He moved aside and let them pass by him.

"See? Completely reasonable." Sokka said, "Not a monster, just a regular guy defending his home! Nothing '_mystical_' about it!"

"Oh, the swamp _is_ a mystical place, alright." The man said as he brought them closer to the tree's base, "It's sacred. I reached enlightenment right here under the banyan grove tree." He sat down in front of them, "I heard it callin' me. Just like you did." Sokka looked up at the tree then back at the man.

"_Sure_ you did." He said sarcastically, "It seems real _chatty_." Hoshiko rolled her eyes at him and pulled him down to sit next to her as they all sat around the man.

"See, this whole swamp is actually just one tree spread out over miles." The man said, spreading his arms to gesture to the whole swamp, "Branches spread and sink and take root, and spread some more! One big, living organism! Just like the entire world."

"I get how the tree is one big thing," Aang said, "But the whole world?"

"Sure." The man said, "You think you're any different from me, or your friends, or this tree? If you listen hard enough, you can hear every livin' thing _breathing_ together. You can _feel_ everything growing. We are all livin' together, even if most folks don't act like it. We all have the same roots, and we are all branches of the same tree."

"But what did our visions mean?" Katara asked.

"In the swamp, we see visions of people we've lost. People we loved." The man said, "Folks we think are gone, but the swamp tells us they're not. We're still connected to 'em. Time is an illusion, and so is death."

"But what about my vision?" Aang asked, "It was someone I had never met."

"You're the avatar, you tell me." The man said, giving Aang a humorous smirk.

"Time is an illusion…" Aang repeated aloud in thought, "So… It's someone I _will_ meet." The man nodded in agreement.

"Sorry to interrupt the lesson," Sokka said as he got up, "But we still need to find Appa and Momo."

"I think I know how to find them." Aang said as he put his hand on the root they sat on, "Everything is… connected." He pressed his palm against the root and the tattoo on his hand began to glow as a small circle of lightening moved around his hand. After a moment, he jumped up, "Come on! We've gotta hurry!" Everyone took off after him as they went through the swamp to a large river portion.

Hoshiko's sharp ears picked up the sound of someone singing a very off-key song.

"_Set my lines by the riverbed!_

_Caught ten fish and I killed 'em dead!_

_Cut 'em and gut 'em, _

_And tossed the head,_

_In the water to keep them cat gators fed!_" They looked to see Appa trapped in a net being dragged by boats that were being moved by men in the river. Katara shot a wave of water at the group, sending a few of them into the river. Aang flew up onto the branch and saw his bison.

"Appa!" He called, he shot out air at a man holding a bag, and once he let go, Momo came flying out and went towards him.

"We're under attack!" A skinny man yelled before he brought up a wave of water to knock Aang and Katara off the branch. They bent it back to defend themselves against him.

"Hey, you guys are water benders!" Katara said as she kept bending the water away.

"You, too?" The skinny man asked, "That means we're kin!" Katara grimaced as the water fell back into the river. Sokka, Hoshiko, and the man from before came running up to join them. The skinny man smiled at the portly man. "Hey, Huu! How you been?"

"You know," The man began, "Scared some folks, swung some vines. The usual." The group looked at him.

"_Huu_?" Sokka repeated.

* * *

The group was back at the swamp water bender's camp. They had invited their 'kin' over for dinner. Hoshiko looked unsurely at the assortment off food they had been given on sticks. Some was possum chicken, some was some kind of giant insect, and some species of fish. They all sat around a fire as some stew was being mixed with water bending for them to eat later.

"How you like that possum chicken?" The skinny man from before, who was named Du, asked Sokka.

"Taste just like arctic hen." Sokka said, looking down at the meat he had just eaten, "So why were you guys so interested in eating Appa? You've got plenty of _those_ big things wandering around." He pointed to the cat gator lying down behind Du.

"You want me to eat ol' Slim?" Du asked incredulously, "He's like a member of the family!" He took a fish off of the stick he had and tossed it at the reptile, who quickly chomped it in his mouth.

"Nice Slim." Sokka said, tossing a giant bug at the creature. It landed on his nose and he growled at him. Sokka flinched in fear. Du laughed.

"Oh, he don't eat no bugs!" He said, "That's people food!"

"Where'd you say you was from?" Tho, Du's brother, asked.

"The South Pole." Katara said.

"Didn't know there was water benders anywhere but here!" Tho said, "They got a nice swamp there, do they?"

"No, it's all ice and snow." Katara replied. The two brothers grimaced.

"Hmm, no wonder you left." Tho muttered.

"Well, I hope you realize now that nothing strange is going on here." Sokka said, "Just a bunch of greasy people living in a swamp."

"What about the visions?" Hoshiko asked.

"I _told_ you, we were hungry!" Sokka insisted as he held up a large fly, "I'm eating a _giant bug_!" He chomped on it and swallowed it with a grimace.

"But what about when the tree showed me where Appa and Momo were?" Aang asked.

"That's avatar stuff, that doesn't count." Sokka said before turning to Huu, "The only thing I can't figure out is how you made the tornado that sucked us down."

"I can't do anything like that." Huu said, "I just bend the water in the plants."

"Well, no accounting for weather!" Sokka said, shrugging casually, "Still, there's absolutely nothing mysterious about the swamp." Hoshiko rolled her eyes.

"_Right_." She drawled sarcastically. Sokka glared at her, "You know, it wouldn't kill you to be a little more open-minded about things." Now Sokka rolled his eyes at her.

"It won't make any sense that way." Sokka said.

"If you just accept that some fiction is fact, the unexplainable would make plenty of sense!" Hoshiko argued before taking a big chomp of the piece of fish on her stick. She looked over at Tho, who was staring at her in a way that made her uneasy, "What?"

"Where'd you get them ears?" Tho asked, "Did you make 'em out of some fancy war stuff?" Hoshiko sent him a furious glare before she stood up from the ground.

"These are my _real_ ears!" She shouted, "They're not fake! I was _born_ this way!"

"Well, what 'bout yer tail?" One of the other water benders asked before tugging on it roughly. Hoshiko stood at attention with a loud squeak, her face tightened. She whirled around to glare fiercely at the water bender, her face flushed in anger, as she snatched her tail out of his hands.

"_Don't DO that_!" She ordered in a high-pitched voice, Sokka looked at her in shock before smirking deviously.

"Oh, so your tail is a weak spot, huh?" He asked slyly, Hoshiko looked at him.

"No." She said, "It's just… Sensitive." She petted her tail gently in her hands before sitting back down, "It's very painful when someone pulls it." She released her tail and let it stick out behind her again as she reached for her stick of food and began eating it.

"So, what if someone did this?" Sokka asked as he gently ran his hands up the tail. Hoshiko blushed and shivered at the sudden moment, "What would that do?" She would never tell him this, but having someone do that to her tail was incredibly arousing.

Hoshiko glared at him and pulled her tail back into her grasp, "It's none of your business what it does!" She growled. She took one more chomp of food and stood up, "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Everyone called back as she went up to Appa. She petted his fur before leaping up onto the saddle and snuggling into it to try and get some sleep.

"Oh, I see!" Sokka yelled from his place near the fire, "It turns you on, doesn't it?" Hoshiko brought up a stream of shadow and had it smack him upside his head. He yelped at the sudden pain, "Yeah, I probably deserved that." Everyone around the fire laughed, and even Hoshiko allowed herself a giggle before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**Yay! Chapter 8!**

**Okay, I'm gonna be greedy now, and say that you can't get the next chapter until I get **

**TWO **

**MORE **

**REVIEWS**

**For this story. Just two! That's all I ask!**

**It will make me feel like this story isn't a total fail.**

**:(**

**PLEASE!**


	9. Avatar Day

9

Hoshiko slowly opened her eyes to the morning day. It was obviously earlier than she planned on waking up, because everyone else was still sound asleep. _As long as I'm up_, she thought, _I might as well get ready for the rest of the day_. She got out of her sleeping bag and stretched out her limbs, and popping her spine as well. She rolled up her sleeping bag and stuck it on Appa's saddle before heading down to the nearby river to bathe. They had left the swamp behind days ago, now they were in some part of the Earth Kingdom wilderness a little ways from a town.

When she reached the riverbank, she shed her clothes and walked into the water. The water was a little cold and completely woke her up. She grabbed her soap and started washing herself, looking up at the morning sky as clouds passed over the river. Her sharp ears picked up rustling, and she engulfed herself in the water to hide her nakedness.

"Who's there?" She called, she heard silence around her. Her eyes kept scanning the trees for any movement. She quickly washed herself off and jumped out of the river to put her clothes on. She pulled her shirt, a long sleeved purple and black kimono top, over her head and pulled up her pants, a simple purple color that was darker than her shirt. She grabbed her things and began to run back to the campsite. When she got there, she saw everyone was still asleep and sighed in relief. She began to put her things back in Appa's saddle when she heard a snoring sound. She looked and saw Sokka had been sleeping with his mouth open. She looked at him a bit closer, and silently giggled when she saw a spider's web had been made over his lips, and a little black and red spider sat calmly in the center of it.

Thinking of a wonderful idea to get revenge on him for doing what he did back at the swamp, she quickly and quietly walked over to Momo, who was resting next to Appa's foot, and carefully woke him up. Momo yawned drowsily as he was carried over to Sokka. She placed him down in front of him and pointed out the spider. Momo's eyes went wide at the sight of his sudden breakfast. He stared at the spider in the web for a minute. A fly came to the web and got tangled up in it. The spider went over to wrap it up and eat it, but Momo caught the spider before it had a chance by sticking his entire paw in Sokka's mouth. Sokka was instantly awake and his head moved upward, taking Momo with him and having the lemur land on his stomach.

"What are you doing in my mouth?" Sokka demanded of the lemur as he spat out different parts of the spider web. Hoshiko couldn't help but guffaw at the sight, she held her sides as she laughed. Sokka looked over at her, "Oh, you had something to do with this, didn't you?"

"That was for my tail!" Hoshiko declared with a smirk. Sokka began to squirm as he tried to get out of his sleeping bag to get back at her, but stopped when Momo moved to his head and let out a loud screech that woke everyone up. Something that made them wake up faster, was the feeling of the ground rumbling beneath them. Hoshiko looked around as she saw Fire Nation men come near them on rhinos. She recognized most of them right away, because her master had been the leader of their tiny, but powerful, platoon. She looked over to her right and saw a man that made the rhino-shaped burn on her back feel fresh and new as when it was first inflicted on her. She glared furiously at the sight of her former master, growling out his name, "Colonel Mongke."

"Give up!" Mongke called out from his place atop his rhino, "You're completely surrounded!" He saw Hoshiko glaring at him and smirked, "And Hoshiko, it has been too long." He said in a sickly sweet tone.

"Not long enough." Hoshiko growled back, glaring at his men as they circled around them. The Yuyan archer of the group shot flaming arrows towards Sokka as he tried to crawl away in his sleeping bag. Sokka squirmed out of it and ran towards Appa, like Katara and Aang were, Hoshiko following him, although somewhat reluctantly because she wanted nothing more than to kick Mongke's ass.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Sokka said as he ran up to the saddle. Katara looked back to a nearby stump when she realized she was about to leave something behind.

"My scrolls!" She exclaimed, one of the Rough Rhinos came up to the stump and stuck his Nagi-nata in the wood of the stump threateningly.

"My staff!" Aang exclaimed, seeing his staff leaning on a bag behind the man. Katara ran towards the stump, shooting out water at the blade of the weapon that had been stuck in the stump and freezing the water around it so he couldn't pull it out. She rushed over and grabbed her scrolls and quickly ran back to Appa. Hoshiko helped her up onto the saddle as Aang, who dodged a falling tree, retrieved his staff. One of the men threw a small bomb in his direction and, using air bending, threw it into the woods. He flew back to Appa and landed on his saddle, "Yip yip!"

Appa shot off into the air, leaving the Rough Rhinos behind. Mongke, the only fire bender in the entire group, shot out a stream of flame at the bison. Hoshiko used her shadow bending to catch the flame before it hit them and throw it back at him.

"Wait, my boomerang!" Sokka called, seeing his boomerang still lying on the ground near his abandoned sleeping bag.

"There's no time!" Katara said.

"Oh, I see!" Sokka said, "So there's time to get _your_ scrolls," He looked at Katara, "And time to get _your_ staff," He looked at Aang, "But no time for _my_ boomerang?"

"That's correct!" Katara answered.

"Oh." Sokka replied sadly. Katara looked over at Hoshiko, who was glaring at the men they left behind.

"Is something wrong, Hoshiko?" Katara asked the fuming Shinjun. Hoshiko glared at Mongke's form a moment longer before turning back to her.

"No." She replied, "It's nothing." She leaned back against the saddle, feeling her insides boil in hatred. If there was one person she wanted dead in this world, or at the very least, someone she never saw again, it was him. She still felt the brand on her body burn as they flew off to the nearby town.

* * *

They arrived at a produce stand, mostly because they needed to stock up on the supplies they lost. They had Appa hidden behind some trees near the stand and had Aang wear a straw hat as they went to buy the food.

"Sorry about your boomerang, Sokka." Aang said to Sokka, who was sulking on the ground for losing his boomerang.

"I feel like I've lost part of my identity." Sokka said, he stood and moved Aang's hat to point out his tattoo, "And that's if you lost your arrow!" He turned to the Shinjun who stood on his other side, "Or if you lost your ears!" He lightly tugged on them before Hoshiko slapped his hands away, "Or if Katara lost her," He turned to his sister, who stood at the counter of the stand, "Hair loopies." He sulked over to the stand where Katara gave him a comforting hug. The man at the stand came forward holding out a basket of fruit and vegetables.

"Here's your produce, ponytail guy." He said to Sokka with a friendly smile. Sokka instantly sulked again as he took the basket.

"I used to be boomerang guy." He said sadly. Hoshiko rolled her eyes and pulled out some money to pay for the produce. She pulled out enough coins and handed them to the man as he came out from the stand.

"Hey, Water Tribe money!" He said, holding the blue coins in his hands.

"Is that okay?" Hoshiko asked.

"So long as it's money." The man replied. Hoshiko walked back over to the group, where Sokka still lamented over his boomerang. The man pulled down a wooden plank over his window and closed up his stand. "Have a nice Avatar Day!" He said as he walked toward the town.

"Avatar Day?" Aang repeated, everyone's eyes turning to the man.

"You guys are going to the festival, right?" The man asked as he kept walking. Everyone exchanged glances, most were smiling. They _had_ to see this.

* * *

The city was alive and happy as everyone went to see the festival. Paper lanterns hung from house to house across the streets, with plenty of stands open serving fried dumplings, takoyaki, candied fruit and other festival foods. Every member of the city wore white in honor of the festival. Joyous music could be heard throughout the town as everyone celebrated.

"There's a holiday for the avatar, who knew?" Aang mused aloud as he gazed at the decorations. Hoshiko looked out to the main street and saw a giant person going by, she recognized them immediately.

"Look, they made a giant Kyoshi float!" She said, pointing it out to the others. The instantly ran to the town hall at the edge of the town, where the main event was obviously going to take place. They saw another float come, a large old man clad in red Fire Nation robes.

"And here comes avatar Roku." Sokka said.

"Having a huge festival in your honor is great." Aang said, "But frankly, it's just nice to be appreciated."

"And it's nice to appreciate their deep-fried festival food!" Sokka said as he took a bite out of a meat dumpling. Hoshiko nodded in agreement as she bit off some takoyaki.

"Aang, look!" Katara cried, she pointed at the giant float that was coming by, it was Aang, with big wide eyes, and a big happy smile.

"That's the biggest me I've ever seen!" Aang said. The three floats were lined up against one another, all of them about the same size. Everyone looked as a young man with bronzed skin with plenty of muscles on his body began to run towards the floats with a torch in his hands.

"Now, a torch! That's a nice prop!" Sokka said as he watched the guy run, "It's bright, dangerous," He took a long sniff after he ran by them, "Smells manly. But, I'm not sure I could carry it off."

"You could _barely_ carry off your boomerang!" Hoshiko said with a grin, Sokka turned and was about to retort to her when Katara spoke.

"Hey, what's that guy doing?" She wondered as he ran towards the floats.

He ran up to the Kyoshi float and let out a wild cry as he jumped through it, making the float catch fire. Everyone cheered as the float began to burn, and soon people began chanting at the top of their lungs, "DOWN WITH THE AVATAR! DOWN WITH THE AVATAR!" As the man lit the Roku float on fire. Everyone gaped at the display. Apparently, Avatar Day was a day to celebrate the town's _hatred_ for the avatar. Everyone watched as the young man climbed up onto the roof of the town hall. When the first two floats were halfway burned, a man in green robes, obviously the town's mayor, gave a signal to the young man on the roof. He nodded and threw the torch at Aang's float, having it land in his eye. Aang flinched at the sudden display as the townspeople began cheering louder.

Katara, who obviously couldn't take much more of this, ran up to the floats and used her bending to make water from two large pots fly up and douse the fires on the floats. The cheering and chanting stopped immediately.

"That party-pooper's ruining Avatar Day!" One man called from the crowd. Aang glared at the man before jumping up onto the shoulder of his float.

"That party-pooper's my friend!" Aang said, he threw off his hat to show the townspeople his arrow tattoo.

"It's the avatar himself!" The mayor said.

"It's going to kill us with its awesome avatar powers!" Another man said in fear.

"No, I'm not. I…" Aang raised his hand to try and emphasize his point, but the people in the crowd cowered and screamed in fear. Aang withdrew his hand and put it behind his back so he wouldn't scare them.

"I suggest you leave." The mayor said, getting up from his cowering position, "You're not welcome here, avatar."

"Why not?" Katara asked, "Aang helps people."

"It's true." Aang said as he floated down from his float, "I'm on _your_ side."

"I find that hard to swallow," The mayor said, "Considering what you did to us in your past life! It was avatar Kyoshi. She murdered our glorious leader, Chin the Great."

"You think that I… Murdered someone?" Aang asked, obviously upset that people think of him this way.

"We used to be a great society before you killed our leader." A disfigured old man said from the crowd, "_Now_ look at us!" Aang flinched at the old man's face.

"Aang would never do something like that." Hoshiko said, "No avatar would! And it's not fair for you all to question his honor!"

"Let's tell her what we think of the avatar's 'honor'!" A man said before turning around to show them his backside and making a farting sound with his mouth. The town cheered in agreement.

"Give me a chance to clear my name!" Aang called out over the cheers.

"The only way to prove your innocence is to stand trial." The mayor said.

"I'll gladly stand trial!" Aang replied.

"You'll have to follow all our rules!" The mayor continued, "That includes paying bail!"

"No problem!" Aang replied.

* * *

Aang, now stuck in a wooden brace that held both his wrists and his neck, looked at his friends from behind the bars of the prison wall's window. "How was I supposed to know they wouldn't take Water Tribe money?" He asked helplessly.

"I still have some left over Earth Kingdom money, but it's not enough to get you out." Hoshiko said, "I'm sure they just didn't accept the Water Tribe money just to spite you. These guys really don't like you." She saw Aang frown sadly at her words.

"So some people don't like you, big deal." Sokka said, obviously trying to comfort the air bender, "There's a whole nation of fire benders who hate you! Now, let's bust you outta here."

"I can't." Aang said.

"Sure you can!" Sokka said, "A little _hwoooooo! Swish, swish, swish! Air bending slice!_ And we're on our way." Hoshiko gave him an odd look.

"I think what 'Master Swish' is trying to say," Katara began, "Is that you're supposed to be out saving the world! You can't do that locked up in here!"

"I can't do that with people thinking I'm a murderer either!" Aang insisted, "I need you guys to help prove my innocence."

"How are we gonna do that?" Sokka asked, "The crime happened over 300 years ago."

"That's okay, Sokka." Aang said, "For some reason, I thought you were an expert detective."

"_Well_, I guess I _could _be classified as such." Sokka said, obviously flattered by the compliment.

"_You're_ an expert detective?" Hoshiko asked, raising an eyebrow dubiously.

"Yeah!" Katara said in agreement, "Back home, he was _famous_ for solving the mystery of the missing seal jerky!"

"Everyone wanted to blame on the polar leopard, but I figured out it was old man Jargo wearing polar leopard _boots_!" Sokka began to rant, not noticing how Aang was mocking him as he spoke, "See, a real 800 pound polar leopard would've left much deeper tracks." Hoshiko and Katara could barely hold in their giggles as Aang kept making fun of him. "Okay, I guess I am _pretty_ good."

"So, you'll help me with my case?" Aang asked, quickly shaking off the face he was about to make.

Sokka seemed to contemplate it for a moment before saying, "Fine! But, I'm gonna need some new props. I'll be right back!" He dashed out of the prison room, leaving Katara, Hoshiko, and Aang alone.

"How long do you think he'll be?" Hoshiko asked, still staring at the door Sokka had rushed out of.

"Probably a half hour." Katara said, "He's really particular about these kinds of things." Hoshiko let out a sigh and sat down against the prison floor, leaning up against the wall where the window that Aang was using had been placed.

"That's great." She said in obvious sarcasm, "Anyone have anything to pass the time?"

"We could just talk." Katara said as she sat down next to her. Even Aang took a seat on the other side of the window.

"About what?" Hoshiko asked, Katara shrugged.

"I don't know. We could… Describe the visions we saw in the swamp." She casually suggested, instantly noticing how Hoshiko's eyes saddened, "Something wrong?"

"No." Hoshiko replied quickly, "Why don't we talk about something else? Describe the Southern Water Tribe for me. Is it anything like the Northern Tribe?"

"No, nothing like it at all." Katara said, "We don't have huge buildings or palaces or anything like that. Just igloos and tents all inside some tiny ice walls. It's nothing special, really, when you compare it to the Northern Tribe."

"Oh." Hoshiko replied, she looked back at the young air bender, "What about you, Aang? What were the Air Nomad temples like?"

"All the temples are different in design." Aang said, "All of them use air bending for special rooms, and there are really amazing places to hang out. Like, at the Western Air Temple, they have a giant pai-sho table that was used for the annual tournament. And at the Eastern Air Temple, they raised sky bison. The Northern Air Temple wasn't much different from the Southern Temple, where I grew up. They had fields for air ball and other games, too."

"Sounds like fun." Hoshiko said.

"What about you, Hoshiko?" Katara asked, "What was your home like?"

"Well, it wasn't much different from how you described your home." Hoshiko said, "We mainly just had tents and mud huts out in a clearing in a forest. The nearest river was just a two minute walk from the village. We had everything we needed out there, pretty much. There wasn't anything special about it," A smile came to her face as she spaced off in reminiscence, "Except for this one cave. Kotaro, Xana, and I would play in there all the time. One day, I fell through this hole, and when I looked up, the whole wall was filled with all different kinds of jewels." She laughed a little, "I must've broken every nail on my fingers when I tried to get out this one ruby. I wanted to give it to my mom as a present, but I just couldn't pull it out." She held up her fist, "It was twice the size of my fist, and I thought she would really like it. So I went back to try and get help to pull it out, and most of the villagers said they'd help me tomorrow, when they had the proper equipment to get out all the jewels." She sighed sadly and pulled her arm around one knee, "But, of course, it never happened."

"Why not?" Aang asked.

"Because the next day, the Fire Nation came and raided our village." She said, "They burned down our homes, and took everyone they could as prisoner. Me and Kotaro got caught, but I heard that some of us got away. Xana was one of them, and possibly my mother as well."

"What about your dad?" Katara asked.

"He's dead." Hoshiko replied curtly, "He died trying to get me and Mom out of our home before it burned to the ground."

"Oh." Katara murmured quietly, "Sorry."

"Hey, no big deal." Hoshiko said with a shrug, "I'm doing just fine."

A moment afterward, Sokka came back to the group, holding something behind his back, "Ready to see the awesomeness that is Sokka?" He asked excitedly. Hoshiko and Katara both rolled their eyes and stood. Sokka pulled out a blue hat and stuck it on his head. The hat was equipped with a small magnifying glass to go over one of the eyes, at the back, two pieces of the hat stuck out in a bow-like look. He made a serious face as he pulled the magnifying glass over his eye, "I'm ready." He said dramatically. Hoshiko and Katara couldn't help the snickers that came out of their mouths as they stared at his ridiculous prop choice. He leaned toward them and pulled the glass forward so he could see them closer, "What?"

* * *

The mayor brought the three of them to the edge of the town, near a cliff. A small stadium had been set up for people to sit and watch whatever went on here. There was a statue of a man in old Earth Kingdom clothing raising his fist in the air, across from him was a small temple that rested closer to the edge of the cliff.

"This is the crime scene." The mayor said as he walked through the area and around the temple. Sokka, wanting to put his new hat to good use, went up to the temple and looked at the walls, "This is the footprint of the killer, Kyoshi." The mayor pointed to a small footprint at the very edge of the cliff. Sokka ran over to the footprint and looked at it with his magnifying glass. "It was at sunset, 370 years ago, today, that she emerged from the temple and struck down Chin the Great." He walked over to the statue, "After that tragic day, we built this statue to immortalize our great leader. Feel free to appreciate it." He walked away from the group and out of the stadium, leaving them to 'investigate'. Sokka scurried over to the statue, looking over every part he could. He focused on certain parts of the statue, then scurried over to the temple, and gave the same overlook to different parts of it.

"This temple and this statue were cut from the same stone." He said, before running back over to the two girls, "And we know that the statue was built _after_ Chin died."

"So if they were built at the same time, that means-" Hoshiko was interrupted by Sokka suddenly turning to her.

"SHHH! I wanna solve it!" He hissed childishly before going into his 'detective' mood, "That means Kyoshi never set foot in this temple!" He smiled proudly.

"That's a big hole in the mayor's story," Hoshiko said, "But it's not enough to prove Aang's innocence."

"You're right." Sokka said, he pulled out a long pipe with a dragon design and began to blow bubbles out of it. Hoshiko raised an incredulous eyebrow as he seemed to think, "We need to go to Kyoshi Island."

"Where'd you get that?" Katara asked, pointing at the pipe. Sokka said nothing as he walked away, probably to Appa so they could get to Kyoshi Island. Hoshiko watched him go with a dry look.

"He's getting _way_ too into this." She said, "To this day, I _still_ don't know what Yue saw in him!" Katara laughed as she and Hoshiko walked after Sokka.

* * *

The three of them flew over the ocean to Kyoshi Island, where Hoshiko was surprised to see a much warmer welcome. With a huge crowd of people, probably the entire village, coming to greet them, cheering at their arrival. They landed near a large statue of avatar Kyoshi at the front of the village. Hoshiko even saw one guy foam at the mouth because he was so excited. It only took the villagers a minute to realize that the saddle held Katara, Sokka, and Hoshiko, but no Aang.

A little girl dressed in blue stomped her foot, "Where's Aangy?" She demanded.

"He couldn't be here, Koko." Katara said apologetically, there was a collective sound of disappointment from the villagers, obviously hoping to see Aang. Hoshiko almost burst out laughing as she saw the guy who had been foaming at the mouth wipe off the remnants of his excitement and pull his kimono over his head to hide his shame as he dispersed with the townspeople. An old man with a round belly and big white beard came up to them with a smile.

"Hello, Sokka, Katara." He greeted, "I'm glad you came to see us." He looked over at Hoshiko, "Who is your friend?"

"Um, I'm Hoshiko." She greeted sheepishly, "Nice to meet you, Mister…?"

"Oyaji." The man replied, "I'm the leader of this village." Hoshiko nodded, "Where's Aang?"

"Aang is in jail." Katara said, "The town of Chin says he murdered their leader in a past life."

"They say it was Kyoshi." Sokka said, still in 'detective mode'.

"Kyoshi?" Oyaji gasped, "That's crazy talk! I'll take you to her shrine. Maybe something there will help you clear her name." The group followed him as he led them through the village. Sokka walked ahead of them, Katara half-walking beside him, and Hoshiko behind them, with Momo resting on her shoulder.

As they passed by different houses, Hoshiko saw the people, although they had been disappointed before, were still smiling and waving at them. A little girl, the one Katara called Koko, came up to them, holding out what was either a choker, or a large bracelet with lots of little charms, like sparkling rocks or seashells, on it. She gave it to Katara, asking that when she saw Aang she'd give it to him and tell him it was from her and her friends. Hoshiko watched as she ran back to her friends and they started chatting happily amongst themselves before running off to play some kind of game.

"This place is so…" Hoshiko began, "Happy. Has the war even touched this place?"

"Only once." Oyaji said, "If you could call it that. It was when Fire Nation soldiers came to apprehend the avatar when they first came to visit. Other than that, soldiers have no other reason to come to this island, and so they haven't."

"That must be nice." Hoshiko said, "No war, no violence. This place is like a sanctuary in these times." She looked back to Oyaji to see him smiling.

"I'm glad." He said, "We have worked hard to make it so."

"Well, you've done an excellent job." Hoshiko replied with a smile of her own. She noticed Sokka had stopped walking and saw him staring at a long building with a red roof. He quickly moved back to the group when he saw they were getting farther away.

"So, uh," Sokka began, "What's Suki up to? Is she around?" Hoshiko didn't miss the sly grin on Katara's face.

"Actually, she and the other warriors left to fight in the war." Oyaji said, "You kids had a big impact on Suki. She said you inspired her, and she wanted to help change the world."

"Oh, well, that's great…" Sokka said somewhat sadly. Hoshiko looked over at him.

"Who's Suki?" She asked.

"She's the leader of the Kyoshi warriors." Sokka explained, "She's a good friend of ours from when we first came here during the beginning of winter."

"Why do I get the feeling you're not telling me everything?" Hoshiko asked with a devious smirk, "There has to be something more than _that_." Sokka blushed.

"That's pretty much it." He said, his voice cracking.

"You liar!" Hoshiko said, jabbing his shoulder with her finger, "Wait, I know. She was your _girlfriend_, wasn't she?" Sokka's blush deepened.

"No!" He replied quickly.

"She _was_! She totally was!" Hoshiko said, "I can't believe there's a girl out there that actually likes you like that!" He looked away from her, so she jumped in front of him and started walking backwards so she could keep facing him, "Tell me, Sokka, 'cause I honestly just don't see how two nice girls _like_ a guy like you!" He glared at her.

"Well, I honestly just don't see how a guy can be into _you_!" Sokka retorted. Hoshiko smirked.

"It's the ears." She said as she twirled back around, "Guys just can't resist the kitty cat ears." Sokka rolled his eyes at her statement. His eyes looked down at her tail and he saw his chance for revenge. If he could just _yank_ it as hard as he could…! Then he remembered this morning, and decided against it.

They looked up as they approached a small, temple-like building.

"This temple was converted into a shrine to Kyoshi." Oyaji said as they went inside, "The clerics tell us these relics are still connected to her spirit." Katara walked over to a lovely green silk kimono, "That's her kimono."

"She had exquisite taste." Katara said as she fingered the material on the sleeves.

"Please don't touch!" Oyaji said quickly and Katara quickly removed her hand.

"These fans," Sokka said as he picked one up, "These were her weapons, no?"

"Also refrain from touching the_ fans_." Oyaji said. Katara squatted down and looked at the shoes Kyoshi wore.

"These were her boots?" Katara asked as she looked at them, "Her feet must've been enormous!" She looked up at Momo as his head popped out of boot and looked at Katara.

"The biggest of any avatar." Oyaji replied with a proud smile. Hoshiko quirked an eyebrow at his statement. Was that supposed to be a good thing? 'Cause a woman with big feet is normally a bad thing…

"Wait a minute…" Katara said, "Big feet… Little footprints?" She rose up and turned to the others, "There's no way-!"

"Ahem." Sokka interrupted, Katara and Hoshiko looked at him. "Special outfit, hat and pipe, these things mean _anything_ to you?"

"You're right. I'm sorry." Katara said, knowing how much this whole detective thing meant to him. She took a step back, "Please."

"Ah-HA!" Sokka said dramatically, "There's no way Kyoshi could've made that footprint, and therefore there is nothing linking her to the crime scene!"

"Brilliant, Sokka." Katara said with a roll of her eyes. Her eyes caught the painting hanging off the wall of the shrine, it was a picture of Kyoshi standing in front of the people on Kyoshi Island. Oyaji noticed her gaze toward it and began to speak.

"This piece is called 'The Birth of Kyoshi'. It was painted at sunrise on the day this island was founded." He said as Sokka walked over to the painting, looking at all the details, "Why, it was today in fact, 370 years ago."

Sokka accidentally sucked in bubble fluid from the pipe in surprise, then he spat it back out, "370 years! Wait," He said, he went up to Oyaji and fisted his kimono in his hands as he spoke to him, "Are you sure it was _today_?"

"Well, seeing how it's Kyoshi Day," Oyaji said as he pushed Sokka away from him, "Yes, I'm sure."

"This ceremony didn't take place at sunrise." Sokka said after looking at the painting, "It took place at sun_set_. Look at the shadows." Hoshiko came up beside him and noticed what he meant.

"They point east, so the sun must've been in the west!" She said.

"So what?" Oyaji asked, Hoshiko opened her mouth to explain, but Sokka pushed her aside.

"So if Kyoshi was in the ceremony at sunset, she couldn't have been in Chin committing the crime!" Sokka said, he turned around, pointing his pipe at Katara's surprised face dramatically, making his magnifying glass spin around on his hat, "She has an alibi!" Hoshiko growled at him and snatched pipe from his hands so she could bring it down on his head. Sokka let out a yelp in pain and fell to the ground.

* * *

"Honorable Mayor Tom," Katara said as she, Sokka, and Hoshiko stood outside the jail cell Aang was locked up in, "We've prepared a solid defense for the avatar. We did and investigation and found some very strong evidence." Sokka sent Aang a smile and pointed his thumb at himself. Aang smiled back at him.

"Evidence? _Hmph!_" The mayor scoffed, "That's not how our court system works."

"Then how can I prove my innocence?" Aang asked.

"Simple, I say what happened, and then you say what happened, and then _I_ decide who's right." The mayor said with a smug grin. Everyone gaped at him, "That's why we call it 'justice' because it's 'just us'." The mayor walked away, cackling maniacally. Hoshiko gritted her teeth and balled up her fists.

"Why that dirty, no-good, son of a-"

"_Hoshiko_!" Katara exclaimed.

"Hey, everybody's thinkin' it, I'm just sayin' it." Hoshiko defended.

"Great, now all my hard work's gone to waste." Sokka groaned. Hoshiko was about to snap something at him, but Katara held up her hand to stop her.

"How am I supposed to defend myself if the mayor, and the entire _town_ is against me?" Aang whined, "I'll be found guilty right on the spot!"

"It'll be fine." Hoshiko said, "The universe isn't going to let you die just like that." She said with a snap of her fingers, "Something's bound to happen in our favor. I mean, you're the avatar for spirits' sake! That _has_ to count for something."

"I got it!" Sokka said, "Aang, why don't I just tell you the evidence we found so you can defend yourself?"

"It's better than nothing." Aang said, listening as well as a twelve-year-old could to Sokka as he relayed the information they found.

* * *

The next day, everyone sat in the stadium that had the statue of Chin and the temple, apparently this place also acted as a court room. Hoshiko, Sokka, and Katara, with Momo in her lap, watched as a guard brought Aang in front of the people still in his cuffs. The mayor walked up to the people and began to give his testimony.

"Everyone loved Chin the Great because he was _so_ great." He said, "Then the avatar showed up and killed him!" He pointed his finger at Aang, "And that's how it happened." He walked away and went to take his seat at the front on the opposite side of the three friends.

"The accused will now present his argument." The guard said, pushing Aang forward to stand in front of the people.

"You can do it, Aang." Sokka said as quietly as he could from his place, "Just remember the evidence."

"Right… Evidence…" Aang mumbled, "Ladies and Gentlemen! I'm about to tell you what _really_ happened! And I will _prove_ it with facts! Fact number one!" Aang's mind pulled up a blank, and wasn't sure what to start with, "Uh…"

"The footprints!" Sokka hissed.

"Oh. Yeah." Aang murmured sheepishly, "You see, I have very large feet..." He pointed down at his own feet, which were not that big. "Furthermore, your temple… matches your statue…" Hoshiko felt her stomach sink at his terrible defense, "But… I was in a painting at sunset…" Hoshiko could just feel the stares from the townspeople, "So there you have it! I'm _not_ guilty!" The townspeople did nothing. Hoshiko, Katara, and Sokka gave him wide smiles and a thumbs-up to help encourage him.

"He's dead." Sokka said through his teeth.

"Not yet." Katara said in determination, she quickly stood up, "Mayor Tom! I have a small request!"

"It's just me and the accused who can make any testimonies!" The mayor snapped, "Nobody else!"

"I know, I was just hoping if the court would allow a small recess." She said, "Just a small one!" Hoshiko looked as she gave him a small, desperate sort of stare, and he sighed.

"Oh, alright." He said, "The court gives a one-hour recess." He said.

"That's short?" Hoshiko mumbled to herself.

"Thank you." Katara said as she quickly dashed up the stairs.

"Katara, where are you going?" Sokka called after her. She didn't respond as she kept running. Sokka and Hoshiko looked after her confusedly, "What's up with her?" Hoshiko shrugged.

* * *

An hour later, Katara returned, and she stepped up in the courtroom. "Mayor Tom, I'd like for the court to hear one last testimony." She said.

"I've already told you!" The mayor snapped, "It's just me and the accused, you can't call any witnesses!"

"This isn't just any witness." Katara said, "I'm going to call avatar Kyoshi herself!" The townspeople erupted into whispers about the return of the 400 year old avatar, but the whispers died down when they just saw that it was Aang wearing Kyoshi warrior make-up and Kyoshi's old clothes from the shrine in Kyoshi.

"What are you doing?" Sokka hissed as his sister came back to her seat.

"Well, she _is_ Aang's past life!" Katara reasoned, "Maybe wearing her stuff will trigger something!"

"I _do_ believe in the power of stuff." Sokka said as he fiddled with the magnifying glass on his hat.

"This is a mockery of Chin law!" The mayor said as he stood up.

"Please, if you could just wait one more second!" Katara pleaded, "I'm sure Kyoshi will be here." She gave him that same stare she had before and he sat back down. Aang, trying to make the people believe something had happened, hid his face behind the fan and then peeked it back out and spoke in a high-pitched voice to sound girly.

"Hey, everybody. Avatar Kyoshi here." He said, fluttering his eyelashes.

"This is ridiculous!" The mayor said as he walked forward, Aang slumped his shoulders, "For the murder of Chin the Great, this court finds the avatar-!"

He stopped as a huge whirlwind spun around Aang, and the sky began to darken. When it seemed that the entire world had gone dark, the whirlwind lifted, and showed that it wasn't Aang in the kimono and other wares, it was a tall woman with long brown hair. Hoshiko felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of avatar Kyoshi. Katara's theory had worked!

"**I killed Chin the Conqueror**." She said in an ethereal voice that carried out over the entire stadium. "**A horrible tyrant. Chin was expanding his army to all corners of the continent. When they came to the neck of the peninsula where we lived, he demanded our immediate surrender. I warned him that I would not sit passively while he took our home, but he did not back down. On that day, we split from the mainland. Even after his army had fled, he still stood at the cliff's edge. As we moved further away from him, he let out a cry and the cliff crumbled and he fell to his death. I created Kyoshi Island so my people could be safe from invaders.**" The whirlwind returned and wrapped itself around Kyoshi. This time, as the whirlwind spun, the sky became lighter as the sun returned to it. The wind disappeared and Aang stood where he had been before, still wearing Kyoshi's garments. He let out a small moan and Katara ran to catch him before he collapsed.

"So… What just happened?" Aang asked, looking up at his water bending teacher.

"Uh… You kind of… confessed." Katara said, "Sorry."

"And I find you guilty!" The mayor said, "Bring out the _wheel of punishment_!" The crowd cheered loudly at his words. The avatar was getting the punishment they believed he deserved. Hoshiko felt her stomach sink even more as she saw the wheel come out, with pictures of a man enduring different punishments, like a bed of nails, or a pit of spikes. They placed Aang in front of it.

"The accused will now spin the wheel of punishment to determine his sentence." The guard that had brought Aang in said. Aang looked back to his friends, who were looking at the wheel in fear.

"I said I would face justice." Aang said, "So I will." He grabbed the wheel's side and gave it a hard pull, making it spin. While it was spinning, Hoshiko heard people call out what they wanted to see.

"Come on, torture machine!"

"Eaten by bears!"

"Razor pit!"

"Community service!" Katara said, "_Please_ stop on community service!" As the wheel began to slow down, the crowd was quiet. As the wheel came to a stop, the needle pointed to a picture of a man sitting in a giant bowl of a boiling liquid.

"Looks like it's boiled in oil." The guard said. The crowd cheered again, and Aang grimaced. Sokka gaped at the punishment, Katara had both her hands cover her mouth, and Hoshiko grabbed onto her own ears and tugged them over her eyes. She peeked them open, and something caught her eye, it was a little red bag with a smoky trail coming from it as it hopped down to the temple stairs. One second later, the temple exploded, and the stone chunks went flying over the edge of the cliff. Everyone looked up behind them to see what had caused this, and Hoshiko clenched her teeth and balled up her fists, snarling as she saw the Rough Rhinos.

"We've come to claim this village for the Fire Lord!" Mongke shouted from atop his beast, "Now show me your leader, so I may…" He paused as one of his men took his paginate and sliced at the statue of Chin, making it crumble, Mongke smirked, "'Dethrone' him."

"That's him over there!" One of the villagers said, pointing to the mayor. The mayor yelped and ran to hide behind the wheel of punishment.

"You! Avatar! Do something!" He commanded.

"Gee, I'd love to help," Aang began, "But I'm supposed to be boiled in oil." The mayor moved to the top of the wheel and moved it to a picture of a man with a broom sweeping up dust.

"There, community service!" He said, "Now serve our community and get rid of those rhinos!" Aang smirked and jumped out of Kyoshi's kimono and boots and ran at the man holding the naginata. The man began to charge at Aang on his rhino as he ran towards him, Aang whipped out Kyoshi's fans and used air bending to send him flying off the rhino and over the cliff. The rhino he was riding on charged at the wheel that the mayor was hiding behind, missing him by inches. Aang turned to look at Mongke and his lips twitched into a tiny snarl.

"Rough Rhinos!" He called, "To the town!" The people screamed as they began using their weapons to destroy different homes in the town. Sokka, Katara, and Hoshiko sprang into action after Aang as he went to stop them. Hoshiko ran towards the only man she hated.

"Mongke!" She growled out, catching his attention as he used his fire bending to burn down a home. He turned to her and smirked, she glared at him, "We have unfinished business." She took a fighting stance.

"It seems so." Mongke said, holding out a fire engulfed fist. He shot out a flame at her and she dodged it, and so their fight began.

Elsewhere, Katara was going after one of the men using his weapon to crush the stands that held up the houses. He flung the two metal balls at when she stood in his way, she used her water bending as a shield and made the chain the balls were attached to wrap around him, tying him up. She used a water whip to get the rhino to run away, knowing the man couldn't do anything to stop it.

Sokka snuck up on the archer of the group and used the magnifying glass to reflect the light from the sun into his eyes. He missed his intended target and the arrow shot at Sokka's hat, lodging the burning arrow and the hat into a pack of explosives from another Rough Rhino across the way. Sokka grinned to himself, thinking, _That works._ He ducked down as a masked man grabbed the pack and threw it off his rhino the second before it exploded. He looked up as he saw some of the man's belongings come flying out. He smiled when he saw one bag holding his blue boomerang.

"Boomerang!" He cried, picking it up, "You _do_ always come back!" He looked over at the archer and saw he was loading another flaming arrow, thinking quickly, Sokka threw his pipe at the bow and made the fire go out. Aang jumped over one of the houses and used air bending to knock the archer off the rhino, and Katara, who was nearby, made another water whip and sent the rhino running. Aang smiled at them, then he realized something.

"Where's Hoshiko?" The three of them looked up as they saw a huge flame burst out nearby. They followed it to see the general from before on his rhino, facing Hoshiko. She held up her shadows around her, ready to fight, and Mongke was ready with his flames. Hoshiko's clothes were slightly singed and she had a tiny burn on the right side of her neck, even her tail was smoking. Mongke was covered in bruises and various gashes from where Hoshiko's shadows struck him. They were both breathing heavily from the fight they had been having.

"I never did understand, Hoshiko." Mongke said, "Why did you fight so much? I gave you a warm bed, a good shelter, food and water; everything you needed."

"What about my _freedom?_!" Hoshiko growled as she shot a stream of shadow at him, which he burned away, "What about my _family?_! My _father_ and _mother?_! My _friends?_!" Each word she accentuated, she shot another stream of blackness at him. He burned away all but the last one, which knocked him off his rhino and it ran away in fear. "Hands that have been washed in the blood of the innocent man can _never_ be washed away!"

"It's a good thing you're not a man, then." Mongke said, he shot out a giant wave of fire at her. She used her shadows to slice through it, making the wave dissipate in front of her. "Shinjuns are not human, so why should we treat them so? In the eyes of our people, a Shinjun is no different from the average _pack mule_." He smirked victoriously as he saw Hoshiko's eyes change, her pupils turning white, and the rest of her eyes turning a horrible black color.

"You _bastard_!" She roared, "I hope you rot in _hell_!" She charged at him, not realizing she was running on all fours, her claws out and her ears hooded back. Mongke shot flames at her and she dodged them by running up the side of the wall. She let out an animalistic roar as she jumped up, bringing a massive amount of shadows with her, and brought them down on the colonel. Or, tried to, at least. Mongke stepped out of the way, and caught Hoshiko by the collar of her kimono top, then he wrapped his hand around her neck and pinned her to the wall. She tried to cry out in pain, but she couldn't breathe, so she never made a sound. She glared at him, her eyes still dark, her lips curling into a snarl.

Mongke grinned maliciously as he brought up his flaming hand. "You know, I've been renewing my brands, lately." He said in a low voice, "Having them go over their heart instead of on their backs." Hoshiko tried to claw his hands away from her throat, squirming viciously to try and get away. He pulled his hand back to place another brand on her chest, but was suddenly knocked aside by a huge gust of wind that blew him into the wall away from her. Hoshiko fell to the ground, gasping and holding her throat. Aang and Katara ran to her side, as she looked over to where Mongke lay in a haystack. Her dark eyes narrowed as she saw him get up and begin to run away. She growled and jumped up, sending a razor sharp wave of shadow at him, giving him a large gash in his leg. He quickly limped away, and Hoshiko snarled.

"You coward!" She growled, then the darkness disappeared from her eyes and the whiteness turned back to her crystalline blue. She moaned and fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Hoshiko!" Aang exclaimed, turning her onto her back. Katara pulled out her water and began to heal the wounds on her skin. Sokka poked Hoshiko's cheek and she groaned. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she looked up at her friends.

"What happened…?" She asked, the three friends shared a glance.

"Don't you remember?" Katara asked, Hoshiko shook her head.

"No." She mumbled, she took in a deep breath and sat up, feeling the wounds heal from Katara's hands. "Thanks, Katara. I think I'm alright now."

"Are you sure?" Katara asked, Hoshiko nodded and she took her hands away. Hoshiko stood up and everyone stood up with her.

"So, where are the rhinos?" Hoshiko asked.

"Gone," Sokka said, "We kicked their butts and they ran off!" He smiled proudly, sticking out his chest, "And that's not even the best part!" He reached behind him and pulled out his boomerang, "I GOT MY BOOMERANG BACK!" Hoshiko flinched at his loud tone of voice.

"Congratulations." Hoshiko drawled, petting one of her ears. "Well," She said, clapping her hands together, "Shall we go rub our heroic rescue in the mayor's face?"

"I'm in!" Sokka said with a raise of his hand, Katara and Aang sent them both dry looks at their smug smirks.

* * *

Fireworks went off above their heads as the four of them stood in front of the villagers holding bowls of something the mayor had given them.

"From now on, we'll celebrate a new Avatar day!" The mayor called out to the villagers, "In honor of the day avatar Aang saved us from the Rough Rhino invasion. Sokka looked into the bowl and saw the little beings made of dough with blue arrows on their heads and two raisons for eyes.

"What is _this_?" He asked, the mayor turned to him.

"That's our new festival food!" The mayor said cheerily, "Unfried dough." He turned back to the crowd, "May we eat it and be reminded of how, on this day, the avatar was _not_ boiled in oil!" The crowd cheered loudly and the mayor turned to them with an expectant smile. Hoshiko inwardly groaned, he wanted them to eat the unfried dough Aangs. The group all shared a glance before sticking their hands into the bowls and pulling out one dough Aang each.

"Happy Avatar day, everyone." Katara said before eating one and swallowing it with a shudder. Aang put half of one in his mouth, the other half slowly seeping out of his mouth. Hoshiko ate the head of her dough Aang and grimaced, carefully slipping some to Momo, who was by her feet. Sokka just stared at his dough Aang before turning to the others.

"This is, by far, the worst town we've ever been to." He said before eating it. Hoshiko nodded in agreement as she swallowed another one.

* * *

**I've been writing this story for a while, and it occured to me I never described how I saw Hoshiko's clothes.**

**I ALMOST didn't write this chapter. ALMOST! I figured since the episode was kind of pointless, I wouldn't put it in my story, but then I remembered the rhino shaped brand on Hoshiko's brand, and I was originally planning for her to not meet the general until, like, the end. But I changed my mind.**

**I would like ONE REVIEW for this chapter!**

**Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty PLEASE?**


	10. The Blind Bandit

10

"It's _pricey_… but I really do like it." Sokka said as he stared at a green bag. It was pretty expensive for a simple bag, about three silver pieces. Sokka had seen it at the market place of the town they entered that morning, and had rushed over to it immediately, gushing about how cool it looked, and how much he liked the design. The four of them had left the town of Chin a week ago, and it was clear to everyone that something had happened to Hoshiko. They all saw her eyes change, and the viciousness that she wielded when it happened. Afterwards, when whatever it was had worn off, she was quiet most of the time, when they flew across the land, they would see her staring off into space with a languid and lamenting expression. Even now, she wasn't even standing with them, she was leaning against a pole that held up the stand the bag was being sold in, staring off at nothing. Aang looked over at his friend, worried that something might've happened to her.

"Then you should get it," Katara told her brother, "You deserve something nice."

"I _do_, don't I?" Sokka agreed, looking over at her, "But… _no_, it's too expensive, I shouldn't."

"Alright, then don't." Katara said, she and Aang were getting tired of his mind switching back and forth from 'buy it' to 'it's too expensive'. They both began to leave, Sokka following them, his eyes still lingering on the bag. He turned around quickly and went back to the bag.

"You know what, I'm gonna get it!" he said happily, he turned to the merchant to talk to him about buying the bag. Katara and Aang went over to Hoshiko, who didn't seem to notice their arrival until Momo jumped off Katara's shoulders and onto hers. She jumped up in surprise, but smiled at the lemur, petting his head. She looked over at Katara and Aang.

"Where's Sokka?" She asked them.

"He's getting a new bag." Katara said, "Hey, Hoshiko…" She looked over at her.

"Yeah?" She prodded.

"You… You didn't get hurt worse in that fight than you said, did you?" Katara asked, Hoshiko quirked an eyebrow curiously.

"No. why would you think that?" She let a sly smirk seep onto her face, "You're not doubting yourself as a water bender, are you?"

"No, it's just…" Katara looked away, and the smirk left Hoshiko's face as she saw she was genuinely concerned about something.

"Just what?" Hoshiko asked.

"Well…" Katara couldn't seem to get the words out, so Aang spoke.

"We're all a little worried about you." He said, "You've been acting different ever since that fight with the Rough Rhino guy in Chin."

"What do you mean?" Hoshiko asked, "I haven't changed, I'm perfectly fine." She looked over at the lemur on her shoulders, "Isn't that right, Momo?" Momo let out a small squeak before jumping onto her head and curling up between her ears. Hoshiko laughed, "I guess that's one way to say yes." She reached up and scratched behind his ear a little.

A man pulled Aang aside, "Hey, you kids like earth bending?" He asked, "You like _throwing rocks_?" He held a bunch of fliers in his hand, "Then check out Master Yu's earth bending academy!" He handed one to Aang, who took it from him, scanning over the words written on the paper.

"Look, there's a coupon on the back." Aang said as he flipped it over, "The first lesson is free!"

"Who knows?" Katara said, "This Master Yu could be the earth bending teacher you've been looking for." Hoshiko nodded in agreement as Sokka came over with his new bag. Hoshiko looked at it and snorted in laughter. Sokka gave her an inquisitive look.

"What?" Sokka asked, Hoshiko shook her head, waving her hand at him.

"It's nothing." She said, smirking. She stood up straight and turned to her friends, "Let's go find this academy and put that coupon to good use." She looked around and saw the man from before a few feet away, still handing out fliers. She ran over to him, "Excuse me!"

* * *

Hoshiko, Katara, and Sokka waited outside the doors of the earth bending academy for Aang to finish. Hoshiko was lying against the ground, her fingers linked behind her head, staring up at the clouds with a sad but tired expression. Katara looked over at her in concern, while Sokka just kept inspecting his bag as they sat on the tiny stone walls outside the academy gate. Hoshiko kept staring up at the clouds, looking into the grayish whites of them, and if Katara looked hard enough, she could see the cloud's reflection in her friend's eyes. Sokka looked over at his sister and saw she was staring at something, he followed her eyes to see she was staring at Hoshiko, who lay down behind them on the ledge. Sokka saw her sad face and frowned. He reached down by his feet and picked up a few pebbles off the ground. He tossed one at her and it landed on her stomach, she didn't move a muscle. He tossed another one, and it landed on her chest, she still didn't move. He tossed a third one and it missed entirely. He scowled and reached over to her tail and gave it a small _smack! _Hoshiko immediately jumped up and glared at him.

"Hey!" She growled, pulling her tail into her hands, "What have I told you about touching my tail?" Sokka shrugged.

"Maybe if you were actually here and not somewhere else, I wouldn't have to touch it." He said, Hoshiko gave him a confused look, "You've been spacing out all week! Seriously, what's up?" Hoshiko looked away.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said, moving to lie back down again, Sokka grabbed onto her pant leg.

"Yes, you do!" He said, "I don't know what it is you think about, but it has something to do with that colonel from Chin, doesn't it?" Hoshiko rolled her eyes and yanked her pant leg out of his hand as she moved to have both her legs hanging over the side of the two foot ledge they sat on.

"No, it doesn't." She said, "You think I'd linger on something as stupid as fighting my old master? Please." She leaned back on her arms, "There's nothing wrong, I'm fine."

"Liar." Sokka grumbled, Hoshiko glared at him and was about to reply when she saw some of Master Yu's students coming out of the building. Aang, in the same uniform, went over to them.

"Eh, he's not the one." He said, hitting the side of his head as sand came out of the other end. Hoshiko heard two students argue as they came out of the gate.

"I think The Boulder's going to win back the belt at Earth Rumble Six." One said.

"He's gonna have to fight his way through the best earth benders in the world to even get a _shot_ at the champ!" The other said. Aang's eyes widened and he ran over to the two students.

"Excuse me," He said, "But where is this earth bending tournament, exactly?"

"It's on the island of Nuniya." One of the boys answered, "_Nuniya business_!" Both of the boys guffawed and walked away. Sokka laughed and held his stomach as he, Katara, and Hoshiko walked over.

"Ha! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Oh, I gotta remember that one!" Sokka laughed, wiping a tear away from his eyes.

Hoshiko walked over to the disappointed Aang, she glanced at Katara, who looked back, and they both nodded simultaneously. Hoshiko put her hand on Aang's shoulder, "Don't worry about it, Aang." She said comfortingly.

"We'll take care of this." Katara said, they both abandoned the two to run after the students. "Hey, strong guys! Wait up!" They followed the two students around a corner, leaving Sokka, Aang, and Momo by themselves. Sokka looked down at his new bag and glared at it.

"What was I thinking?" He asked himself and held it away from him at arms length, "I don't need a new bag! Why'd you let me buy this?" He put it on the ground and turned away from it. Momo jumped off his shoulders and into the bag, turning in a circle once and laying down in the bag. Katara and Hoshiko ran back to the two boys.

"You ready to find an earth bending teacher?" Katara asked, "Because we're going to Earth Rumble Six!"

"How'd you get them to tell you?" Aang asked.

"Oh, a girl has her ways." Hoshiko said vaguely, looking back at the alley where the two boys had been. She knew one of them was frozen to a wall, and the other was pinned by thick black shadow. She smirked to herself and she and Katara led the two boys to where the tournament was supposed to take place.

* * *

The tournament was supposed to take place in a cave off the coast of the town they were staying in that night. The cliff side it was in was gigantic, and nobody who wasn't on the beach would be able to see, hear, or know what was going on. The four of them walked in to see a gigantic stadium with what seemed like hundreds of people in the seats surrounding the stage. The stage that was set for the fighters was a simple rectangular shape, with the symbol for the Earth Kingdom in the middle. There was a large stone podium that had the symbol of the earth being broken into four pieces by a fist. The entire room was lit up by giant glowing emeralds hanging off the top of the ceiling, and the first ten rows of the seats were practically empty.

"Hey, front row seats!" Aang said as they walked behind him, "I wonder why no one else is sitting here." Only a second later, a boulder came flying out from the ground of the ring and right next to where Sokka sat. They all gaped at it in fear.

"Guess that's why." Sokka said. Not wanting to be hit with a boulder, Hoshiko scooted back one row to avoid getting hit as more boulders shot out of the floor. A man stood at the center who was earth bending them out. The crowd cheered when they saw his face. He was a large, muscled man with long black hair hanging loosely from his head. His features were sharp and fierce, Hoshiko guessed that, back in the day, (Because he looked to be in his late forties or early fifties) he must've been a wrestler.

"Welcome to Earth Rumble Six!" He called out, his voice booming over the stadium, "I am your host, Xin Fu!" The crowd cheered again. Katara sighed and stared at her nails.

"This is just gonna be a bunch of guys chucking rocks at each other, isn't it?" She asked.

"That's what I paid for." Sokka replied with a grin.

"The rules are simple!" Xin Fu continued, "Just knock the other guy out of the ring, and you win!" He used earth bending to launch himself onto the stone podium as the first fighter came out. He was a younger, but much bigger muscled man with a goatee and a large badger mole tattoo on his back. He was shirtless so he could show off his muscles to the crowd. He smiled to the crowd, his arms up high in a sort of victory pose, "Round 1! The Boulder versus the big… bad…_ Hippo!_!" The Hippo was a much larger man, when he opened his mouth in a war cry, they saw he only had four teeth, making him look like a hippopotamus. He was large, and rather fat, but it was a pretty average weight for someone his height, he was about six foot seven, so he was rather big.

"Listen up, Hippo!" Boulder said, "You may be big, but you ain't bad! The Boulder's gonna win this in a landslide!" _Oh, __**Gods**_, Hoshiko thought to herself, _he talks about himself in the __**third person**_.

"Hippo _mad_!" Hippo growled. He stomped his gigantic foot against the ground. Boulder bent up some rocks and shot them at the huge man. The Hippo didn't seem to be too effected by them, even by the one he caught in his mouth. He just used his four teeth to smash it up in his mouth then spit it back out. Hippo jumped up, taking the stage with him as he moved up and down, up and down. Boulder couldn't keep his balance as the stage moved, and he began to awkwardly step towards the edge of the stage.

"Unbelievable, ladies and gentlemen!" Xin Fu called out, "The Hippo is Rocking the Boat!" The Boulder, as he moved to the closest to the edge as he could get, pulled out a slab of stone and threw it at Hippo. Hippo glared at him, but didn't have time to retaliate because Boulder bent up the earth that he stood on, and threw him out of the ring, with lots of effort. The crowd cheered loudly, "The Boulder wins!"

"How about the Boulder?" Katara asked Aang, "He's got some good moves."

"I don't know." Aang said, "Bumi said I need a teacher who listens to the earth. He's just listening to his big muscles. What do you guys think?" Aang turned to Sokka and Hoshiko. Sokka only cheered loudly at the Boulder's win. Hoshiko patted Aang's shoulder to get his attention.

"You can do better." She said, "I don't think Appa would be able to carry a man with such a big ego, anyway." Aang smiled at her joke and turned his attention back to the fight.

"Next match!" Xin Fu called out, "The Boulder versus…" The doors opened to reveal a man in red Fire Nation attire and waving a Fire Nation flag, "Fire Nation Man!" The crowd booed at his appearance, Hoshiko raised an eyebrow at him. Although he was wearing Fire Nation clothes, he looked nothing like an actual Fire Nation man. His skin was just a tad too dark, and his hair was a light brown instead of the traditional darker colors of Fire Nation hair. Then again, those from the Fire Nation colonies didn't really look like Fire Nation at first glance…

Sokka obviously didn't like him, booing along with the rest of the crowd as he began to speak, "Please, to rise for _Firrre_ Nation national anthem." He said in an accent, Hoshiko knew he wasn't Fire Nation now. If there _was_ an accent, it wasn't quite so thick, and it wasn't so odd. He rolled his r's too much, and his 'please' turned into 'pleeze'. He knelt down and began to sing, "_Fire Lord! My flame burns for thee!_" Hoshiko was surprised he knew the actual anthem, though. Sokka, however didn't seem to care as he picked up a rock, along with a few other groups of people, and threw them at him.

"Go back to the Fire Nation!" Sokka shouted as he threw his rock. The rock actually hit his head when it landed. Then, the red wrestler was sucked into the earth beneath him, up to his arms, and Boulder had lifted himself up on an earth made platform about twenty feet above him. He gave a dangerous smirk to the earth bender and Fire Nation Man made a terrified face.

"No! No, please!" He begged, Boulder said nothing as he jumped off of the platform, bringing his ankles behind him, making his knees jut out as he plummeted to the floor. Once he hit the ground, a rock shot out from underneath Fire Nation Man and he flew out of the ring, landing in the exact spot the boulder that had almost crushed the group from before was. The crowd cheered, and Sokka took a special joy in taunting the wrestler. Boulder defeated many other wrestlers, one was the Gopher, the Gecko, and the Wild Man. All the while the crowd cheered for him at each win. When it was obviously down to the last fight, the only round he would get with the champion, one of the emeralds centered their light on Xin Fu as he stood on his podium.

"Now," Xin Fu called over the silent crowd, "The moment you've all been waiting for. The Boulder versus, your champion, _the Blind Bandit_!" Another light centered in on a little pale girl in Earth Kingdom clothes as she wore a cape and held up the green championship belt. The crowd cheered loudly, chanting "BANDIT! BANDIT! BANDIT!" as she handed the belt to a young woman in a white kimono who was seen earlier carrying out the number of the round of the fight. She apparently had an identical twin dressed in the same get up that took the cape off the little girl's shoulders.

"She can't _really_ be _blind_." Katara said as she looked at the girl, "It's just part of her character, right?" Hoshiko squinted her eyes as she tried to get a better look at the girl, seeing that her eyes were a milky white instead of any other traditional color.

"I think she is." Aang said.

"I think she is GOING DOWN!" Sokka said, Hoshiko rolled her eyes and smacked the side of his head to shut him up.

"She _is_ blind." Hoshiko said, "Look, her eyes are practically all white. I don't see any other explanation." Sokka opened his mouth and Hoshiko glared at him, "I swear to the Gods, Sokka, if you burst out in one more cry for the Boulder, I will take your eyes out of your sockets and shove them in a place you _don't_ want them shoved." He instantly shut his mouth and turned his attention back to the fight.

"The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young, blind girl." Boulder said, looking at his opponent.

"Sounds to me like you're _scared_, Boulder." The Blind Bandit taunted. Boulder scowled at her.

"The Boulder's over his conflicted feelings, and now he's ready to bury you in a _rock-alanche_!" He growled, taking a fighting stance.

"Whenever you're ready, _The Pebble_." The Blind Bandit taunted with a laugh.

"It's ON!" The Boulder yelled. He took two steps, and The Blind Bandit used her earth bending to make him do a split. He cried out in pain as the Bandit made three pillars shoot out from the earth and make him go flying out of the ring. Hoshiko was astounded, she had never seen such a fast victory before!

"Your winner, and _still_ the champion, _The Blind Bandit_!" Xin Fu announced. Sokka let out a cry of despair at the loss of his favorite wrestler.

"How did she _do_ that?" Katara asked. Aang smiled.

"She waited and listened." Aang replied, Hoshiko quirked an eyebrow at his answer, then she remembered. Bumi had told him to find an earth bending teacher who does _just_ that. Xin Fu jumped from his place on the podium to the stage, holding up a lumpy green bag.

"To make things a little more interesting," He said, "I'm offering up this sack of gold pieces to _anyone_ who can defeat _The Blind Bandit_!" The crowd was silent, "What? No one dares to face her?"

"I will!" Aang called out, walking up to the stage. Xin Fu grimaced, obviously not expecting any challengers, least of all a twelve-year-old boy. The crowd cheered as Xin Fu jumped back onto the podium to let them fight.

"Go Aang!" Sokka called out, "Avenge the Boulder!"

"Do people really wanna see _two_ little girls fighting out here?" The girl taunted. The crowd gave out a chorus of 'Ooooh's.

"I don't really wanna fight you." Aang said, "I want to talk to you."

"Boo! No talking!" Sokka jeered, Katara glared at her brother.

"Don't boo at him!" She said, slapping his shoulder.

Aang took one step forward, and the girl bent the earth underneath him to make him fly off the stage, but Aang reacted quickly, using his air bending to avoid the strike and land safely a few feet away. Hoshiko noticed that, while in the air, the Blind Bandit couldn't seem to find him. When his feet touched the ground, she whirled around to face him.

"_Somebody_'s a little light on his feet!" She said, "What's your fighting name? The fancy dancer?" Aang smiled sheepishly and shrugged, jumping quickly as he avoided another blow from her. "Where'd you go?" She mumbled to herself as he was still airborne. Aang landed a few feet behind her.

"Please, wait!" Aang called. She turned to him with a smirk.

"There you are!" She said, she brought up a boulder and shot it at him. Aang's instincts kicked in and he used his air bending to blow the rock, as well as the girl, off the stage and away from him. Everyone was silent for a few moments before the crowd erupted into loud cheers at his win. Aang looked up at the crowd before going back down the stairs after the girl.

"Please, listen!" Aang pleaded as she stomped away, "I need an earth bending teacher, and I think it's supposed to be you!"

"Whoever you are," The girl said, "Just leave me alone." Aang ran down the stairs after her as she created a doorway in the wall and stepped through it.

"Wait!" Aang called, the girl closed him off as he came toward it. He pawed at the wall before turning back around sadly and heading back up to the stage, where a few people had already come onto the stage to cheer him on. Hoshiko, Katara, and Sokka were already there. Sokka hugged Xin Fu and grabbed the bag and belt from him.

"Way to go, champ!" Sokka congratulated, putting his arm around Aang's shoulder. Aang looked down at the ground sadly, not replying.

* * *

Aang stared up at the ceiling of the inn he and the others had splurged on with his victory money. He couldn't sleep, he tried to, but he couldn't. The fact that he may have lost his earth bending teacher ate away at the back of his mind, and it wouldn't leave him be long enough to let him get some shut eye. He heard a small moan, and looked over to see Hoshiko tossing and turning in the cot she was given. She was sweating, and her face was scrunched up into one of agonizing pain. Aang slowly sat up and was about to go and wake her, when her eyes shot open and she jumped up in her bed, panting harshly. She wasn't facing him, so she didn't realize he was awake, or anyone else for that matter. She took in deep, shaky breaths, letting a few tears fall from her eyes and not bothering to wipe them away. Her nightmare had gotten even worse than it had before, the giant panther eating her family and friends before coming back to eat her. She could still hear their bones being crushed up in the monster's mouth.

"Hoshiko?" Aang murmured quietly. She jumped and quickly wiped away her tears before looking at him.

"Aang!" She said, "What… What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Aang replied, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, "Is everything okay?" Hoshiko turned away from him.

"Yes, it was just a nightmare." She sniffled a little before preparing to lie down, "Go back to sleep." Aang stared at her still form for a moment before double checking that Sokka and Katara were asleep.

"…Is that why you've been acting so strange, lately?" He asked quietly. Hoshiko seemed to freeze altogether, holding her breath. She let it out and sat back up, looking at him, "Is it because that nightmare is bothering you?"

"Not exactly." She replied, swinging her legs over the side of the cot. She rested her elbows on her knees and held her head, sighing, "It's hard to explain."

"Well, we have a while before dawn." Aang said, "Why don't you explain it to me?" Hoshiko looked up at him, and Aang was surprised to see a tortured, tired look on her face. He got up and walked over to her bedside, putting his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. Hoshiko took a deep breath.

"You know, a lot of fire benders hate us." She said, "It's because the fire benders were the first humans to find out about the shadow bender's greatest, and most dangerous weapon."

"What do you mean?" Aang asked.

"In our tribe's original tongue, shadow benders were called _Ni-nin_." Hoshiko said, "That translates into 'two people'. We were called this because each shadow bender is born with a second entity inside them. A being who loves danger, violence, and chaos. They're normally the complete opposite of who the host is, and you can tell who's in control of the body by the behavior shown, as well as one physical difference." She pointed to her eye, "The eyes change color, the pupils and irises turning white, and the rest becoming black. Or, so I've been told, anyway." She looked down at the floor, "When I fought Colonel Mongke back in Chin, I let my anger get the better of me, and… I let that other being out." She held her head in her hands, "It's been a long time since I lost control like that. If I hadn't passed out when I did, I may have never been able to come back. Ever since then, I've been having nightmares about that other person. She even came up with a name for herself."

"What is it?" Aang asked.

"Kagemi." Hoshiko answered, "In the language of my people, the name means 'shadow'." She lifted her head up, and looked at Aang, "You can't tell anyone about this. No one. Not even Sokka or Katara."

"Why not?" Aang asked.

"Because…" Hoshiko looked down at the floor again, "I don't want them to be afraid of me." Aang tightened his grip on her shoulder and gave her a small squeeze of assurance.

"They won't be afraid of you." Aang said, "But, I still won't say anything. You can tell them when you're ready." Hoshiko smiled up at him.

"Thanks, Aang." She put her hand on his back and pushed him up, "Now get in your _own_ bed and go to sleep!" Aang smiled and walked over to his bed, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Aang bid, crawling back under the sheets and closing his eyes. Surprising both Hoshiko and Aang, they both had a calm, dreamless sleep throughout the night.

* * *

The next morning, Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Hoshiko were walking about in the streets. At breakfast, Aang suggested they go and search for The Blind Bandit, because he knew that she was the one he saw in his swamp vision. They all agreed and began to search, after Sokka had taken the championship belt and putting it on.

"I gotta admit," Sokka began, "Now I'm _really_ glad I bought this bag. It matches the belt _perfectly_." Hoshiko snorted in laughter. "What? Why do you keep laughing?"

"Nothing! It's nothing!" Hoshiko replied with a wave of her hand, she turned to Aang, "So, where do you think we find the Blind Bandit?"

"If we wanna find the Blind Bandit," Aang said, "The earth bending academy is a good place to start." They walked through the gate of the academy and saw two students, the ones from yesterday, in fact, doing an earth bending exercise where they punched sand inside a vase. They looked up when they saw people coming in, and scowled when they saw Hoshiko and Katara.

"Oh, _great_." One said, "You again." Katara and Hoshiko glared at him, leaning towards them, making them both jump up in fear.

"Yeah, I didn't think so." Katara said.

"Nicely done." Sokka complimented.

"Hey," The other student said, pointing at Aang, "You're the kid who beat the Blind Bandit." Both boys moved over to him.

"We need to talk to her." Aang said, "Do you guys know where she lives?"

"The Blind Bandit's a mystery." One said, "She shows up to fight, then _disappears_." Aang cast his eyes down to the ground despondently. Hoshiko put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"Let _me_ handle this." She said, she marched over to the boy and jabbed her finger at his chest threateningly, "You're not telling us everything!"

"N-No, I swear it's true!" The boy stuttered, "No one knows where she goes, or who she really is!" He moved back and hid behind the other boy in fear.

"That's because we're asking about the wrong person." Aang said, "In my vision, I saw a girl in a white dress with a pet flying boar. Know anybody like that?"

"Well, a flying boar _is_ the symbol of the Bei-Fong family." The student not cowering in fear said, "They're the richest people in town. Probably the _whole world_."

"Yeah, but, they don't have a daughter." The other boy said, moving out of his hiding place a little.

"Flying boar is good enough for me!" Aang said, turning to his friends, "Let's check it out!" He beckoned his friends to follow him as he ran out the gate.

"Yeah, you _better_ leave." One of the boys growled quietly, glaring at the two girls.

"Hey!" Katara said as she walked out, "I got my eye on you!" Sokka followed after his sister with a pleased smirk.

"Water Tribe." He murmured making a symbol with his arms as he walked away.

* * *

The group hid outside the Bei-Fong estate, where two guards stood at the door. Above the ornate door, was a symbol of a white boar with white wings.

"That's the flying boar from my vision." Aang said, staring at it. He turned to his friends, "Come on." The four of them tiptoed their way around the estate, scaling the walls around the huge garden outside the mansion of a house. They maneuvered around the topiaries and other plants. They saw a figure walking around the garden and they all looked around a bush to get a better look at it. Suddenly, the ground beneath them rumbled and made them all shoot up into the air. Aang, Katara, and Hoshiko landed on bushes, while Sokka landed on the ground. Aang looked up to see the Blind Bandit in a fancy white dress, and her hair decorated into an elegant bun.

"What are you doing here, Twinkle Toes?" She asked, glaring at him.

"How'd you know it was me?" Aang asked.

"Don't answer to Twinkle Toes!" Sokka hissed from his spot on the ground, "It's not manly!"

"You're the one whose bag matches his belt!" Katara retorted as she and Hoshiko began to get up.

"How did you find me?" The girl demanded.

"Well, a crazy king told me I need to find an earth bender who listens to the earth." Aang said as he air bent himself off the bush as everyone stood around the girl, "And then I had a vision in a magic swamp, and-" Katara saw the girl's disbelieving face, so she spoke up.

"What Aang is trying to say is," She began, "He's the avatar. And if he doesn't master earth bending soon, he won't be able to defeat the Fire Lord." The girl held out her hand to Katara's face.

"Not my problem." She said as she began to walk away, "Now, get _out_ of here, or I'll call the guards."

"Look, we all have to do our part to win this war." Sokka said, "And yours is to teach Aang earth bending." She was silent for a moment before turning around.

"Guards! Guards, help!" She cried in a distressed voice. Everyone scrambled to get away as the two guards came running towards her.

"Toph! What happened?" One of the guards demanded.

"I… thought I heard someone." Toph said in a small voice, sounding like a frightened child, "I got scared."

"You know your father doesn't want you wandering the grounds without supervision, Toph." The guard said, putting his hand on her shoulder and escorting her away, with the other guard looking around them for anyone who might cause the young girl harm. Aang looked after them, before slyly grinning and sliding back down the wall.

* * *

Hoshiko was truly amazed at what the name 'avatar' could do. All four of them had shown up at the Bei-Fong estate, unannounced, saying they were here for a visit. They told the servant at the door that Aang was the avatar. He went to go and announce them, and now, they were being welcomed as honored guests in their home. She regarded the two parents respectfully as they were invited to sit and eat with them. She noticed Toph looked an awful lot like her mother, sharing the same hair color, skin color, even the same petite fingers. She had no resemblance to her father, from what she could tell. Maybe if she had some pigment in her eyes, they'd be the same color as his, but she could never know for sure.

They sat at the dinner table, Toph sitting at her father's right hand, Aang at his left. Hoshiko noticed that even Master Yu from the earth bending academy was in attendance. He must've been Toph's earth bending teacher, and since nobody knew of her existence, she could only guess it was for private lessons. She looked over at Sokka to see him totally pigging out on the fancy foods the Bei-Fongs had laid out. She ate at a much slower, more refined pace, to look nice in front of these people, but the food was amazing! They must've had a gourmet chef making all the food, and it was divine! Had the situation been different, she would have been chowing down on everything like Sokka was.

A servant brought a bowl of soup to Toph, still warm and steaming.

"Blow on it." Toph's father said to the servant, "It's too hot for her."

"Allow me." Aang said, making a tiny whirlwind to cool down the soup. Everyone but those who had seen his air bending before clapped in applause at the feat.

"Avatar Aang," Toph's mother said, "It's an honor to have you visit us."

"In your opinion," Toph's father began, "How much longer do you think the war will last?"

"I'd like to defeat the Fire Lord before the end of summer." Aang said, he sent a sly look to Toph, "_But_ I can't do that without finding an earth bending teacher first." Toph scowled.

"Well, Master Yu is the finest teacher in the land." Toph's father said, gesturing to the man in question, "He's been teaching Toph since she was little."

"Then she must be a _great_ earth bender!" Aang said, grinning at Toph, "Probably good enough to beat someone els- OW!" He jumped up in his seat from the sudden pain of a rock jabbing his foot. He glared at Toph, who had done it, and she smiled innocently as she calmly at the food in front of her. The earth bending had been so subtle that nobody else had noticed it, and they were all giving Aang odd looks.

"Toph is still learning the basics." Yu said after a moment.

"Yes," Toph's father said despondently, "And, sadly, because of her blindness, I don't think she will ever become a true master." Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Hoshiko paused in what they were doing.

The group of four exchanged glances, knowing this wasn't true. "Oh, I'm sure she's better than you think she is- WAH!" Aang stopped when his chair was suddenly pulled forward and he went face first into the bowl of food in front of him. He sat back up, the bowl still on his face, and moved it up to the top of his head where he could see Toph and glared at her. Everyone gave him odd looks again as he wiped the food off of his face and out of his eyes. He paused for a second, then smirked deviously. He reared his head back and let out a violent sneeze, making the food in front of Toph, her mother, and Master Yu come flying at them. Toph's bowl landed right in her face, and it quickly fell off.

She stood from her chair and glared at the air bender, "What's your problem?" She demanded angrily.

"What's _your_ problem?" Aang retorted. Toph's father looked between the two confusedly, and the rest of Aang's entourage grimaced at the sudden display, knowing that everyone else had no clue what was going on.

"Well, shall we… move to the living room for desert, then?" Toph's mother suggested after wiping off the food from her face with a handkerchief, obviously trying to remedy the situation.

* * *

Hoshiko let out a sigh and lay down against the bed sheets. The Bei-Fongs had been kind enough to offer them a room for the night in their home. Apparently, they had more rooms than they knew what to do with.

"That could've gone better." She commented dryly, looking up at the ceiling.

"No kidding." Sokka said, "I can't _believe_ they think she can't be a good earth bender! I mean, we saw her fight. She was incredible!"

"I know!" Katara said, "I don't get why they're so protective of her."

"It's because of who she is." Aang began wisely, "Come on, think about it. The Bei-Fongs are probably one of the richest families in the world. If it got out that they had a blind, twelve-year-old daughter, and someone was really, really desperate, they'd kidnap her and offer a ransom for her safe return. They're her parents, they're just trying to protect her." Hoshiko nodded in agreement, rubbing at Momo's ears as he lay on her stomach.

"Still, though, isn't it a bit much?" Hoshiko asked, "She's a great earth bender, probably one of the best, and her parents still want her to be guarded whenever she's in the house that she _never leaves_? Doesn't that kind of hinder the fact that she's more capable than any of us at earth bending?"

"Maybe they don't know it." Aang said, "At dinner, when he said that thing about her never being a master, he probably doesn't know she's the Blind Bandit." A loud grunt came from the window, and the group looked to see Appa looking in from the outside. The Bei-Fongs didn't have a room big enough to let him stay in. Aang walked over to the window and petted his bison. "Goodnight, buddy." The padding of bare footsteps was heard as someone approached their room. Aang turned to see Toph leaning against the doorframe casually. He flinched and took a defensive stance, ready to fight against her if he had to.

"Relax." Toph said, "Look, I'm sorry about dinner. Let's call a truce, okay?" Aang lowered his stance and looked at the young blind girl in surprise. She nodded her head toward the hallway, "Walk with me?" Aang nodded and followed her outside. The group watched the two leave until they were out of sight.

"That was odd." Hoshiko commented after a moment, leaning back against the bed and closing her eyes contently.

"…" Katara looked over at her friend in silence, seeing her overall behavior had changed back into her normal self, "Hey… Hoshiko?"

"Hmm?" Hoshiko asked, cracking one eye open.

"Did… something happen?" Katara asked, "Yesterday, I mean."

"We saw the Blind Bandit fight." Hoshiko said dryly, "I think that counts as 'something'."

"No, I mean after that." Katara asked, "You're more… yourself today than you were yesterday."

"Am I?" Hoshiko asked with a playful smirk, "I didn't realize I had become someone else."

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Katara said, Hoshiko rolled her eye before shutting it.

"Katara, there's nothing wrong." She said firmly, "I never changed, I've been myself all this time. I never changed my behavior, I'm perfectly fine and I've _been_ perfectly fine."

"Liar." Sokka said from his spot on the bed, Hoshiko opened her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. Her tongue disappeared and she snickered when she saw he was still holding the bag he had bought yesterday. He looked down at the bag then back at her, "What? What is so funny?" Hoshiko snorted again and waved her hand at him.

"N-Nothing. Nothing." She said, "It's nothing, I promise." The group jumped when they felt something like a small earthquake rumble through the ground beneath them. Hoshiko shot up from bed instantly and Katara and Sokka jumped up as well. They all shared glances and knew they were all thinking the same thing,_ Something's happened to Aang and Toph_. They all ran outside, something a few guards were already doing, as well as Toph's parents. They went into the garden and found two small ditches that looked like the ground had been scooped out of it. Next to them was a scroll stuck through a knife. Sokka walked over to it and pulled it out of the ground.

"Whoever took Aang and Toph left this." He moved the knife over to Katara and she pulled the scroll off, unrolling it and reading the message inside.

"'If you want to see your daughter again, bring 500 gold pieces to the arena.' It's signed Xin Fu and The Boulder." Katara read.

"I can't believe it." Sokka said, suddenly grabbing the scroll and making a victory pose, "I have _The Boulder's AUTOGRAPH!_!" Katara sent him a dry look, and Hoshiko looked at him in disbelief.

"_Really_, Sokka?" She asked, he looked at her blankly and she smacked her forehead. Toph's mother walked over to the two ditches away from her husband as he turned to Master Yu.

"Master Yu, I need you to help me get my daughter back." He said to him.

"We're going with you." Katara said, Toph's father looked unsure for a moment, but nodded in consent. Toph's mother kneeled down in front of the two ditches.

"Poor Toph." She said brokenly, "She must be so scared."

"Somehow, I doubt it." Hoshiko mumbled to herself.

* * *

Hoshiko, Katara, Sokka, Master Yu, and Toph's father walked down the hallway to the arena. Hoshiko's sharp ears picked up murmurs of voices in the stadium, but she couldn't make out the words. Then she heard something that was definitely not a scared little blind girl.

"You think you're so tough!" Toph shouted from her elevated cage, "Why don't you come up here so I can smack that grin off your face?"

"I'm _not_ smiling." Xin Fu said, glaring up at the little girl. Toph's father looked up at the two cages and saw his daughter dangling there, not hearing what she had said before.

"Toph!" He cried. Xin Fu and The Boulder turned to the group as they came in. Sokka held up the green bag they had received for Aang's win, having the Bei-Fongs replace some of the pieces they splurged.

"Here's your money." Sokka said, throwing the bag on the ground, "Now let them go." Master Yu earthbent the money over to Xin Fu. Who picked it up and saw that the money was really in there. He turned to someone and waved his hand, and they lowered Toph's cage. They opened up the bottom and she fell out. She instantly ran to her father, who put his hand on her shoulder and everyone, excluding Aang's friends, began to leave the stadium. Katara looked over at Xin Fu.

"What about Aang?" She demanded, Xin Fu pulled a scroll out from his pocket and unrolled it, revealing it to be Aang's wanted poster.

"I think the Fire Nation will pay a hefty price for the avatar." Xin Fu said, "Now, _get out of my ring_." Hoshiko, Sokka, and Katara got into defensive stances, knowing they'd have to fight him for their friend. The looked as a dirty whirlwind came toward them, and it stopped to show the wrestler called Fire Nation Man. Another wrestler called The Gecko jumped down from the ceiling, The Hippo stepped forward, crushing a rock with his teeth, another wrestler called Wild Man jumped up from the stadium seats and another wrestler called The Gopher popped out of the ground. They all stood in front of Aang's cage, and the three of them knew they couldn't take on all those wrestlers at once.

"Go." Aang told them from above, "I'll be okay." They all backed out of the stadium, Hoshiko glaring at Xin Fu when she saw his victorious smirk. They ran to the hall where Toph was leaving with her hand in her father's as she walked beside Master Yu. Hoshiko ran over to her.

"Toph, there's too many of them for us to fight." Hoshiko called to her, "We need your help to take them down!" Master Yu and Toph's father stopped walking. Toph's father sent the Shinjun a stern look.

"My daughter is blind." he said, "She is blind, and tiny, and helpless, and… Fragile! She cannot help you." Toph snapped her hand away from her father's hold.

"Yes." She said firmly, facing Hoshiko, "I can." Hoshiko smiled as she walked away from her father towards the three of them. Her father watching her with a concerned look. They walked back to the ring where the wrestlers were carrying Aang off. Toph bent up a large rock and blocked their path. They all turned to the four of them at the other side of the ring.

"Let him go!" Toph ordered, "I beat you all before, and I'll do it again!"

"The Boulder takes issue with that comment!" Boulder declared as Hippo threw Aang's cage down on the ground a few feet away from the rest of them. Everyone began to run forward, ready to fight, but Toph held out her arms to stop them.

"Wait!" She said, the group waited a few moments as Toph stood still, feeling the vibrations of the wrestlers' feet as they ran toward the group. She turned her head to the group behind her, "They're mine." Katara, Sokka, and Hoshiko's eyes widened at her statement. Sure, she had beaten them before, but that was only one at a time! How was she supposed to beat them all at once?

Toph stomped her foot into the ground as she took an earth bending stance. She raised her arms, shaking slightly and held them up for a moment before pulling them in and turning a large amount of earth that blew all the wrestlers back, it also left a dirty dust cloud that blinded the wrestlers from seeing her. Toph walked straight into the dust, ready to fight. The other three exchanged helpless looks before Hoshiko shrugged and gestured to the two siblings to follow her as they ran over to Aang's cage. It was only a second after Toph entered that she shot one of the fighters out of the cloud and out of the ring. Hoshiko would've been astonished at her amazing time in kicking butt, if it wasn't for the fact that Aang was stuck in a cage and needed to get out. Sokka picked up a rock and started slamming it on the lock in front of window that showed Aang's face while Katara tried to pull open the bottom. Hoshiko looked around for the switch that would open the bottom up, but she was having trouble.

Sokka kept slamming the rock down on the cage, which sort of broke Hoshiko's concentration. "Hit it harder!" Aang told him.

"I'm trying!" Sokka said, as he kept slamming the rock down. Hoshiko rolled her eyes and kept inspecting the sides of the cage. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another wrestler go flying out of the ring. Then another, all in the same basic direction. Hoshiko smiled as she finally found the switch and yanked at it, opening up the bottom. Aang leapt out, taking a defensive stance, but Sokka shook his head at him in a 'don't bother' kind of way. When Aang gave him a confused look, Sokka pointed to the dust cloud to see Hippo run out, swinging a stone slab at nothing. A second later, The Boulder came flying out and landed beside him. They both turned around to see Toph leaving the cloud she had made, taking a simple fighting stance instead of the more complicated looking ones made by The Boulder and Hippo. Hoshiko could hear Toph's father biting his nails in fear for his daughter.

Toph stood in the center of the ring, which looked like an Earth Kingdom coin, listening as another wrestler came flying down at her on a rope with a rock in his hand as Boulder and Hippo came running towards her with their own rocks. Toph bent the symbol of the coin and made it turn so that when the wrestler on the rope came closer to them, he would run into Hippo and Boulder instead of Toph. Everyone watching this gaped at her, in awe of her amazing earth bending skills. Toph smirked to herself as she used earth bending to send the three of them flying out of the ring, and on top of the other three wrestlers she had taken out before.

"I never knew!" Hoshiko heard Master Yu say from the stadium seats, "Your daughter's amazing!" Toph used her earth bending to blow the rest of the dust away from the stadium, revealing Xin Fu as the last man standing. He popped his neck to help get ready to fight Toph before taking a fighting stance. Toph held her position and spat at the ground in his direction in disrespect before smirking maliciously at the man. She took a fighting stance as she and Xin Fu circled each other around the center of the ring. After a moment, Xin Fu made a move and sent an onslaught of boulders at the young girl. Toph defended herself by making something of an earth shield in the shape of two triangles leaning against each other. When the boulders stopped firing at her, she shot out one of the triangles at Xin Fu. He dodged it with a spin in the air. He dug his fingers into the earth and shot a fast traveling boulder at the girl, who dodged it by a paper's width before sticking her hand in the ground and making him fly out of the ring and, incidentally, between Master Yu and Toph's father.

Aang, Katara, and Hoshiko smiled excitedly at Toph's incredible victory. Sokka gaped openly before falling back against the ground in a sort of fainting way. The other three ran over to thank Toph for her help and to comment on every part of her amazing fight.

"She's the _greatest_ earth bender I've ever seen." Master Yu said to Toph's father. He didn't reply, simply staring at his daughter as if for the first time.

* * *

When they returned to the Bei-Fong estate, Toph stood in front of her parents, explaining her entire double life story to them.

"Dad, I know it's probably hard for you to see me this way." Toph said, "But the obedient, little, helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me. I love fighting. I love being an earth bender! And I'm really, _really_ good at it! I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the _whole world_. You were doing it to protect me, but I'm twelve years old and I've never had a real friend!" Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Hoshiko exchanged glances at these words, surprised at what they were hearing, "So now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me."

"Of _course_ it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph." Her father said, "It's made me realize something."

"It has?" Toph asked, her voice hopeful.

"Yes," Her father answered, "I've let you have far too much freedom! From now on, you will be cared for, and guarded, twenty four hours a day!" Hoshiko's eyes widened, that was _definitely_ not the response she was expecting.

"But Dad!" Toph began, not able to believe these new terms.

"We're doing this for your own good, Toph." Toph's mother said. Toph's father stood.

"Please escort the avatar and his friends out." He ordered a servant as the four of them stood as well. "They are no longer welcome here."

"I'm sorry, Toph." Aang said over his shoulder as he was led out.

"I'm sorry, too." Toph said brokenly, "Goodbye, Aang." He saw a tear slip out from her eye before he left, and he became even more depressed.

* * *

The group looked down at the Bei-Fong estate from a nearby cliff, getting ready to leave on Appa. Aang looked down at the estate sadly, knowing that he had found his perfect earth bending teacher, and she couldn't teach him. Katara walked over to him.

"Don't worry, we'll find you a teacher." She said in a comforting tone, "There are plenty of amazing earth benders out there."

"Not like her." Aang said sadly.

On the saddle Hoshiko gave Sokka a disbelieving look as he polished the champion belt. She let out a small snicker and covered her mouth to stop herself. Sokka heard it and glared at her.

"_What?_!" He demanded desperately, "What _is_ it that's so _funny?_!"

Hoshiko waved away his question, "N-Never mind! It's nothing!" She said between giggles. She calmed herself and helped pull Katara up onto the saddle as she walked over. Aang was about to tell Appa to take off when he heard the sound of footsteps and somebody's panting as they ran. He turned and saw Toph in her wrestling outfit as she ran toward them. Aang's face instantly burst into a smile.

"Toph!" He exclaimed happily, "What are you doing here?"

"My dad changed his mind." Toph said, "He said I was free to travel the world." Everyone shared happy glances before looking back at her.

"Well, we better get out of here." Sokka said, "Before your dad changes his mind again."

"Good idea." Toph agreed with a nod.

"You're gonna be a great teacher, Toph." Aang said.

"Speaking of which," Toph began, "I wanna show you something."

"Okay!" Aang jumped down from Appa's head and the second his feet touched the ground, Toph made a rock jut out from the ground and make him go flying into the tree next to Appa.

"Now, we're even." Toph said, a smug grin on her face. She held up her hand to the saddle where Sokka was, "Um, I'll take the belt back." Sokka removed it with a small frown and tossed it at her. It hit her head and she fell to the ground. "Ow!"

"Sorry." Sokka said quickly. Aang fell out of the tree and hit the ground with a thud. Everyone helped Toph get on the bison before they took off, "So, maybe, when you're not wearing it, could I… borrow the belt? It goes with the bag so perfectly…" Sokka asked as they flew.

"I'll consider it." Toph said with a shrug, hanging onto the saddle as if her life depended on it. Hoshiko couldn't help herself as she began to laugh out loud. Sokka glared at her, letting out a sound of frustration.

"Okay! _Every single time_ we bring up the bag, _you_ start laughing!" He said, jabbing his finger at the guffawing Shinjun, "_Just what is so freaking funny?_!" Hoshiko quickly calmed herself and looked at him, wiping a tear from her eye.

"I probably should have said this in the beginning…" She said through giggles, "But Sokka, that bag…" She giggled behind her hand, "_It's a girl's bag!_!" She started guffawing again, and everyone else began to snicker along with her. Except for Sokka, who looked down at the bag in horror, "I saw, like, _five_ women toting it around yesterday! I can't believe you didn't see it!" Sokka blushed a furious red and threw the bag off his shoulder, slumping unhappily against his seat, crossing his arms and pouting like a stubborn child as they flew through the night sky.

* * *

**If anyone waited on this, I'm SOOOOOO sorry! My computer's been really sucky lately, and it wouldn't let me get on the internet or use word document for a while because it was so dumb.**

**But it's all fixed now, so it's all good.**

**Please, please, PLEASE REVIEW!**


	11. Side story: Zuko Alone

11

Zuko rode along the path ahead of him in silence. About a week ago, Zuko left his uncle, and he had been traveling alone. Well, if you don't count the ostrich horse he rode on as a companion, then he was alone. The horse swayed slightly to the side as it kept going, it had been a few days since either of them had had any real food. When they rested, the ostrich horse always took to grazing before lying down and curling its clawed feet underneath itself before going to sleep. Zuko hadn't had anything to eat, and he knew that grazing wouldn't be enough to keep the animal satisfied for very long. Not eating anything had already begun to take a toll on him, his eyes looking tired and sleepy, his body becoming thinner, and his cheeks sinking into his face. Give him a month, and he'd probably look like a skeleton.

Zuko looked up as they approached a bridge that went over some fast rapids in the river beneath them. He pushed the horse onward to cross it. The bridge creaked with every step they took. One of the steps made the horse's foot go through the boards, scaring it out of its mind. Zuko pushed the horse onward to cross the bridge, and it obeyed him.

As he went further down the path, he caught the scent of something being cooked. He stopped the horse to see it was a man cooking a good looking brisket over an open flame. His stomach growled painfully at the thought of receiving food. He took a second look at the man, he looked to be somewhere between his mid to late twenties, and Zuko didn't see any weapons on his person. It would be easy to steal the brisket from his clutches. Zuko's hand went over his two Dao blades in preparation to attack. Then he noticed the man's companion, a woman of similar age, but with a large, swollen belly resting against the trunk of a tree. The man came over to her and rubbed her belly with a smile. Zuko took his hand off his swords and kept going, leaving the couple alone.

As he kept going, soon he came across a battlefield that had taken place between earth benders and Fire Nation soldiers. He could tell from the giant stone coins that had been thrust into the ground and the scorch marks on the grass. Zuko slouched against the saddle of the horse as he rode through it, his eyes slowly falling, begging for him to close them. Every time he blinked, he had to force his eyes back open so he could stay awake. He reached for his water canteen and opened it to take a drink. When he tried to take a sip of water, he found air, and realized he had no water. His fatigue began to catch up with him more, his vision becoming slightly fuzzy as he began to fall asleep. He jerked his head up to try and look on the path in front of him, but he found his eyes closing again. He saw the face of his mother flash in front of him when he did.

He was almost tempted to stay asleep, but a sharp pain in his shoulder made him wake up. He stopped the horse and looked around, seeing if anything had happened.

"Hey!" He turned and saw a boy no older than him wearing a dark green cloak over a blue tunic and white pants. He wore a straw hat on his head, like Zuko, and his eyes were an incredibly sharp grey, his left eye having a single vertical scar slashed across it. His hair was stark white and in a tiny ponytail, and behind him, Zuko saw a grey and white wolf tail sticking out. The boy called to him again, "Hey, stranger!" He tossed a small pebble at him and it hit the middle of his back.

"What?" Zuko asked, annoyed. The boy grinned, showing his elongated canines and walked over to him, pulling something out from his belt. Zuko was about to reach for his weapons to stop him if he was a thief, and was surprised to see the boy hold up a water canteen.

"Need a drink?" He asked, "You passed by me and I noticed yours was empty." Zuko nodded and took the canteen from him, drinking about two gulps before giving it back, "You know, there's a town not too far from here. You could probably stock up on supplies there if you need it." Zuko nodded in thanks. He gave a slight whip of the reigns to make the ostrich horse keep going, he was surprised when he heard footsteps coming after him. He turned and saw the boy was walking in step with his ostrich horse. A pack on his shoulder. "Do you mind if I come with you? They say it's better to travel in groups than alone." Zuko turned away from him, ignoring his question, "I'll take that as a 'go ahead'." The boy said with a grin.

"How do you know about the town?" Zuko asked, his voice was hoarse and he cleared his throat.

"I stayed there the other night." The boy replied, "There was a nice family there that let me stay in their barn. Maybe they'll let you stay as well." Zuko didn't reply. He couldn't stay at the town for too long, he needed to keep going, but he didn't feel the need to tell the strange Shinjun that.

As they came over a hill, Zuko saw the small Earth Kingdom town the boy had mentioned. They walked down the path and began going through the streets, looking for a vendor that could sell Zuko the food he and his ostrich horse so desired. They went past a group of men wearing the uniforms of Earth Kingdom soldiers. They sat in a circle, one of them shaking a pair of dice in his hand.

"Come on," The soldier said, "Spider snake eyes!" He rolled the dice and came up with a pair of two fives. He raised his arms in victory, "Ha ha! Yeah!" He was quickly punched by two of his subordinates in the stomach. As Zuko and the boy went past, one of the soldiers eyed the two, and Zuko sent a cold stare in return, the Shinjun ignored it as they went up to the vendor. Zuko jumped off the horse and pulled out what little Earth Kingdom money he had left and held it out to the vendor.

"Could I get some water, a bag of feed, and something hot to eat?" Zuko asked. The vendor looked down at the money he had.

"Not enough here for a hot meal." He said, he looked back up at Zuko, "I can get you _two_ bags of feed." They both looked up in surprise when the boy put down a couple more coins.

"Now he can get a meal, right?" He asked the vendor nodded and took the coins from him. The boy smiled and walked off, "Hope you get to where you're goin'." He waved and began to walk away, heading in a different direction from where they came from. Zuko shrugged it off and waited as the vendor went into the building behind his stand to go and get what Zuko had asked for. He noticed something out of the corner of his eye and saw two boys hiding behind the stand, mischievous smiles on their faces as they looked at the Earth Kingdom soldiers. He saw them go back and one of them handed an egg to the other. He threw it and it hit one of the soldiers in the back of the head. The boys ran off so they wouldn't get caught.

The soldiers turned around to see who threw the egg and only saw Zuko's back. They all stood up, weapons in hand, and marched over to him.

"Hey!" One of the soldiers shouted to him, "You throwing eggs at us, stranger?"

"No." Zuko answered, not turning around.

"You see who did throw it?" He asked. Zuko turned around to face him, he was a middle-aged man with a beard and balding head. He didn't wear any shoes and he had two large mallets resting on his belt, he looked at Zuko with a cold and harsh stare. He was obviously the leader of the group.

"No." Zuko answered again. He put his hand on the handle of his Dao blades in preparation for a fight.

"That your favorite word? No?" One of the other soldiers asked dryly.

"Egg had to come from somewhere." The leader said, glaring at Zuko. He turned back around.

"Maybe a chicken flew over." He suggested, one of the soldiers laughed at his joke and stopped once the leader gave him a cold glare. The vendor came out from the building carrying two bags of feed with a bento lunch box resting on top of them. He placed them on the counter in front of Zuko, and as he reached to grab them, the leader came over and took them.

"Thanks for your contribution." He said in a bitterly sarcastic tone, he threw the bags and the lunch box to one of his men, "The army appreciates your support." The group began to walk away, but the leader turned around, "You better leave town. Penalty for staying is a lot steeper then you can afford, stranger." He patted the handle of his metal mallet in an ominous way, "Trust me."

As the soldiers walked away, the vendor spoke, "Those soldiers are supposed to protect us from the Fire Nation." He said to him, "But they're just a bunch of thugs." Zuko didn't reply as he walked back over to his ostrich horse. When he reached it, the head of one of the boys he saw before popped up on the other side.

"Thanks for not ratting me out." He said with a smile. Zuko said nothing as he mounted his horse and began to walk away from him. The boy ran up to him and stopped in front of his horse, grabbing the front of the reigns. "I'll take you to my house and feed your ostrich horse for you!" He offered, Zuko said nothing as the boy began to run, pulling the horse along with him, "Come on, I owe you." Zuko let him lead the horse to his home. He knew the horse could use the food the boy was offering, and it was going to need energy for the journey ahead. At the thought of food, Zuko gripped at his stomach as it growled painfully again. _He_ needed food, too.

* * *

The boy, who introduced himself as Lee, brought Zuko to his home. He lived far out from the village, on a farm with cow-pigs and sheep-pigs and other animals galore. All the animals made loud oinks, moos, and squeals as they approached the pen and went closer to the house. Lee looked up at Zuko.

"No one can ever sneak up on us." He said, offering a bright side to all the noise the animals were making.

Zuko 'tsked' at the boy, "No kidding." He said. Lee took the horse to the barn near his house and Zuko waited for him. He turned his head and a rooster pig crowed at him. A man came out from the house and looked at him.

"You a friend of Lee's?" he asked. Zuko looked in surprise when the Shinjun boy from before followed him out. He smiled at Zuko, but he didn't smile back. Lee came running out from the barn house to his father.

"This guy just stood up to the soldiers!" He said, "By the end, he practically had them running away!" The boy's mother came up to the group, wiping her hands on a cloth.

"Does this guy have a name?" She asked.

"I'm… Uh…" Zuko looked down the ground, trying to think of a name to give.

"He doesn't have to say who he is if he doesn't want to, Sila." The father said, "Anyone who can hold his own against those bully soldiers is welcome here. Those men should be ashamed to wear Earth Kingdom uniforms."

"The real soldiers are off fighting in the war," Sila said, "Like Lee's big brother, Sen Su." Zuko stole a glance to the boy, who smiled at his brother's name. "Supper's going to be ready soon, would you like to stay?"

"I can't." Zuko replied quickly, "I should be moving on."

"We already have one guest," The father said, trying to get him to stay, "What's one more?" Zuko looked over at the Shinjun, who smiled back at him.

"Gonzu could use some help on the barn, and our other guest is already helping us." Sila said, telling him he was staying whether he wanted to or not, "Why don't you three work for a while, and then we'll eat." Zuko didn't protest. The sound of food was enough to convince him to stay, if only for the night.

* * *

Zuko stood on his knees on the roof of Gonzu's barn with him and the Shinjun he met earlier. Lee stood on the ladder behind him, watching them work. Gonzu and the boy both had experience as working men, because they were able to nail in the plates with expert hands, or one expert hand. Zuko, however, had no experience in labor of any kind, so he held his hammer with both hands and hammered in nail after nail on a single plate to make sure it would stay there.

"You don't seem like you're from around here." Lee observed as he watched Zuko work.

"Mm-mm." Zuko confirmed, shaking his head.

"Where are you from then?" Lee persisted.

"Far away." Zuko said, pulling the hammer back to hit the nail with the proper force.

"_Ohh_." Lee murmured, "Where're you going?" Zuko stopped mid-swing when he spoke, glancing at the young boy.

"Lee, give it a rest." Gonzu ordered, "Stop asking the man personal questions, got it?" Lee let out a disappointed sigh.

"Yes." He groaned out. Zuko pulled the hammer back again and just before he nailed in the hammer, Lee asked, "So how'd you get that scar?" In his surprise, Zuko's hand went slightly off the course he had set for it, and hit his thumb.

"It's not nice to bother people about things they might not want to talk about." Gonzu said, "A man's past is _his_ business."

"I'm with you." The boy said, pointing to Gonzu.

"You're just saying that because you wouldn't tell me about _your_ scar!" Lee accused, the boy rolled his eyes at Lee.

"The past sounds like 'The passed' for a reason." The boy said, "That's where it belongs." He went back to hammering in the nails, as did Zuko.

* * *

Zuko looked up as the boy he had met in the village earlier came and sat next to him at the dinner table.

"And here we thought you were leaving tomorrow." Sila said with a teasing grin on her face as she looked at him. The boy let a small blush come onto his cheeks and he smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, well, I'm not very good with long distances." He said before letting out a small chuckle. "I didn't get too far from the village before I had to rest, then I saw this guy come along, with no water in his canteen," He pointed his thumb at Zuko, "And, I guess I just got caught up in it all. Thanks for letting me stay another night, by the way."

"It's our pleasure." Gonzu said, "Alright, everyone dig in!" Everyone but Zuko gave a blessing over the food before eating. Zuko was hesitant about eating the food, but he was so hungry he didn't really care anymore. Sila was a good cook, he had to admit. It had been a very long time since he had eaten food this good. All throughout dinner, light conversations were made. Lee still bugged Zuko about his past, and his father would scold him. He would do the same to the boy, and he scolded him again. The mother made conversations a little less awkward by asking less personal questions. Simply asking how their travels were going and what they thought of the farm.

When dinner ended, they told Zuko and the boy that they would be sleeping in the barn since they had no spare bedrooms to offer either of them. They both accepted the terms and the boy bid the family goodnight before going after Zuko, who had started walking over to the barn without a word to the family.

Zuko lay in the hay a few feet away from the boy, unable to find sleep.

"Hey." The boy whispered in the darkness, "You awake?"

"Yeah." Zuko replied. He heard the sound of the hay moving, meaning that the boy was shifting positions.

"I never got your name." He said, Zuko didn't reply, keeping his mouth shut and acting as if he didn't hear him. After a beat of silence the boy continued, "If I tell you my name, will you tell me yours?"

"No." Zuko muttered in the darkness, trying to get the boy to leave him alone.

"It's Kotaro." The boy whispered, "Of the Rakurai clan. Though, I doubt you've heard of us." Zuko didn't reply, trying to find sleep, but still finding himself listening to the boy's story, "We were kind of killed off when the Fire Nation took over the village we had on Wale Tail Island down south. My family managed to escape, and we came to the Earth Kingdom, and found a new village to stay in." Kotaro smiled as he moved to lie on his back, "I was just a little kid back then, and I met the most amazing girl… We ended up becoming more than just friends, and performing the _hanbun tamashi_ ceremony."

"The what?" Zuko asked, unfamiliar with Shinjun terms and traditions, so he knew nothing about Shinjun ceremonies.

"It's a ceremony that bonds two souls together for eternity." Kotaro explained quickly, "I did that with the girl, since we weren't old enough to get married yet."

"Of _course_ you were going to marry her." Zuko muttered, it was a love story. Why did this Shinjun suddenly feel the need to tell him a love story he had no interest in hearing about? He decided to make him shut up as quickly as he could, "So what? Did the Fire Nation raid your village and kill her?"

"No." Kotaro said, "We survived, the both of us, and we were taken to the Fire Nation as slaves." Kotaro's smile disappeared from his face, "That was the last time I saw her, actually…"

"Is she dead?" Zuko asked.

"No." Kotaro replied instantly, sounding certain of himself, "She's still alive. She's run away from the Fire Nation and escaped to the Earth Kingdom."

"How do you know?" Zuko asked snappishly, starting to wonder if he would ever be quiet.

"I don't." Kotaro said, "Well, I don't know for sure, anyway. But I know she's still alive somewhere." He unconsciously put his hand over his heart, "If she died, I would feel it, deep inside myself. Half my soul would be gone, because she would have died with it. I once met a man who lost his best friend, who had done the _hanbun tamashi_ ceremony with him, and died a few months later. He said he always felt like there was a hole in his chest because that other half of him was gone."

"Okay, Kotaro?" Zuko said, turning to face him in the darkness, "What can I do to get you to _stop talking_?" He sent him a fierce glare that made Kotaro grimace a bit.

"Sorry, I'll stop talking if you tell me your name." He said, Zuko groaned and turned onto his side, his back facing the wolf-boy.

"Lu Ten." He said, he couldn't tell him his real name, so he picked the name of his dead cousin instead.

"Nice name." Kotaro commented, "Well, then goodnight, Lu Ten."

"Good _night_." Zuko said stiffly, finally glad to have some peace and quiet. When he heard footsteps outside the barn, he inwardly groaned. When the door opened, he carefully cracked open one of his eyes and saw it was Lee, sneaking into the barn. He tiptoed past Zuko and Kotaro, who both feigned sleep. Lee walked over to where Zuko had hung his Dao blades and picked them up off the wall before tiptoeing out. Zuko waited a moment before going after him, fearing that he might steal away his swords to sell them.

He went outside and found him in their family's sunflower patch that grew outside the pig pens. He sliced at one flower and another, pretending to fight an enemy. Zuko allowed himself a small smirk. Lee must've been only, what, eleven-twelve maybe? Of course he had no interest in selling them, just using them. Zuko noticed the way Lee used the blades was the wrong way, typical of any amateur who fought with Dao blades for the first time. As Lee began to stab the hollowed out tree trunk in the fields, Zuko decided to let his presence be known to him.

"You're holding them all wrong." He said casually, his words sent Lee flying back in surprise. He came up, one of the chopped off flowers resting on his head. He had a guilty look on his face as he handed the swords back to Zuko. He took them from his hands and kept speaking, "Keep in mind, these are dual swords." He brought the two swords together, "Two halves of a single weapon." He stepped back and began showing him the right way to use them, "Don't think of them as separate, because they're not. They're just two different parts of the same whole." He turned and slashed a flower cleanly off its stem. He walked back over to Lee and handed him the Dao blades. Lee took them and began using them as Zuko had said, as a single weapon instead of two separate ones. He slashed at the flowers some more before running for the tree trunk and slashing it as he jumped off it. He looked to Zuko for approval, and Zuko smiled, nodding his head. Lee smiled back.

"I think you'd really like my brother, Sen Su." Lee said as he and Zuko began walking back, "He used to show me stuff like this all the time." Zuko listened as Lee began to talk about his older brother, waving goodbye as he headed back into the barn, and Lee went back to the house.

* * *

In the morning, Zuko sat atop his ostrich horse, looking at the family that had taken him in, as well as Kotaro. Sila walked over to them and held out two bento boxes.

"Here," She said, handing them to both teenagers, "These ought to get you through a few meals." Kotaro smiled, taking off his hat and bowing in thanks. Zuko noticed his two white wolf ears as he did so.

"Much obliged." Kotaro said, "I promise, I won't come asking to burden you again tonight."

"I should hope not!" Gonzu laughed as he came over. Kotaro stood up straight again and smiled sheepishly, showing his elongated canines in his smile, "We may have food, but you eat as if you're three times your size!"

"Really?" Kotaro said, "I always thought it was for only twice my size." The family laughed, but Zuko's face remained emotionless and silent. Zuko looked up as he heard the sound of rumbling and saw dust rising in the distance. The soldiers who had seen earlier were coming to the farm on armored ostrich horses. Everyone else noticed as well. Gonzu regarded their presence with distaste.

"What do you think _they_ want?" He asked aloud, looking at the soldiers.

"Trouble." Zuko answered. The soldiers rode closer to them, catching the attention of all the pig animals on the farm, making them squeal and oink loudly. They stopped a few feet away from them.

"What do you want, Gao?" Gonzu asked the leader.

"Just thought someone ought to tell you your son's battalion got captured." Gao began with a sick grin, Zuko heard Lee's breath catch in his throat at the news. Gao turned to the other soldiers, "You boys hear what the Fire Nation did with their last group of Earth Kingdom prisoners?"

"Dressed 'em up in Fire Nation uniforms and put them on the front line _unarmed_ way I heard it." One soldier responded, before spitting out onto the ground beside his ostrich horse, "Then they just watched."

"You watch your mouth!" Gonzu growled at him. Gao, not happy with the way his subordinate had been addressed, began to move closer to him. Zuko moved his horse out in front of Gonzu and blocked Gao's path. The two glared at each other for a moment before Gao spoke again.

"Why bother rooting around in the mud with these pigs?" Gao said, turning his ostrich horse around and leading the troops back into the village. Once they were gone, Zuko looked back to the family to see Gonzu embracing his wife, who looked close to tears.

"What's gonna happen to my brother?" Lee asked worriedly.

"I'm going to the front." Gonzu said firmly, pulling away from his wife, "I'm going to find Sen Su and bring him back." Sila let out a few tears and Gonzu began to lead her back to the house. Lee ran up to Zuko.

"When my dad goes, will you stay?" He asked, looking up at him. Kotaro looked at the young boy sadly and turned away from him, starting to walk back to the village.

"No." Zuko said, not looking at Lee, "I need to move on." He reached into his pack and pulled out a pearl dagger and handed it to him. "Here, I want you to have this. Read the inscription." Lee took the knife and pulled it out.

"'Made in Earth Kingdom'." He read.

"The other one." Zuko said. Lee flipped it over and read the inscription that Zuko had wanted him to read.

"'Never give up without a fight'." Lee read. It was then that Zuko decided to take his leave, whipping the reigns of the ostrich horse and making it go towards the village so he could leave. He didn't see Lee run after him for a few feet before watching him ride into the distance.

A little while later, Zuko saw that Kotaro had left the village, waving goodbye and wishing him luck on his journey, and Zuko did the same.

* * *

Kotaro stared blankly at his compass. It was nothing more than a magnet that he suspended on a string in the air. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he thought.

"Okay, if north is that way…" He mumbled to himself, "Then east is this way… No, wait, that's west isn't it?" He huffed out a groan, "Okay, east is right and west is left, so…" He groaned to himself, "I really need to get a map." He looked back to the village and put the magnet away in his pocket. He got up and went back to the village to look for a vendor who sold a map of the Earth Kingdom. As he walked further into the market place, he saw the soldiers standing around something. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the group. When one of the soldiers moved to the side, he saw that they had Lee tied up against a pole. He growled at them, his mouth curling into a snarl, the hairs on his tail bristling at the sight.

He heard the steps of clawed feet and turned to see the young man he had come to know as Lu Ten riding in on his ostrich horse. Lee looked up as he walked by the Shinjun and closer to them, and smiled.

"There he is!" Lee exclaimed happily, "I told you he'd come!" The soldiers around the kid stood up and walked forward, making sure Zuko didn't go past them. Zuko dismounted from the horse and walked closer to the soldiers, glaring at the leader.

"Let the kid go." Zuko said in a dark voice. Gao burst into laughter.

"Who do you think you are?" Gao demanded of Zuko, "Telling us what to do."

"It doesn't matter who I am." Zuko said, "But I know who _you_ are. You're not soldiers, you're bullies. Freeloaders, abusing your power. Mostly over women and kids. You don't want Lee in your army. You're sick cowards messing with a family who's already lost one son to the war." There was a beat of silence before Gao turned to his men.

"Are you gonna let this stranger stand there and insult you like this?" He asked of his men. One of his soldiers took the hint and held his bisento out and ready. He charged at Zuko, who sidestepped his attack and sent him back by hitting him with the hilt of his Dao blades. The soldier crawled away in fear as another one charged at Zuko. Zuko nimbly avoided the blow and knocked the bisento to the side as he pushed his hand against the soldier's forehead and pushed him to the ground. The soldier ran away from him as soon as Zuko released him. The last soldier charged at Zuko and before he even had a chance to land his blow, Zuko kicked up his foot and broke the blade of the bisento off of the stick. The soldier stood there for a moment, dumbfounded, before running away like the others. Kotaro looked at the young man, impressed at the fact he was skilled enough to send three Earth Kingdom soldiers running with their tails between their legs without even drawing his swords.

Gao was the last one standing to face him. He pulled out his mallets and got into a fighting stance. Zuko pulled out his own blades in preparation for his fight against Gao. Gao plunged one mallet into the ground and made a rock come up. He hit the rock with his mallet and made it go flying at Zuko. He cut the rock away with his swords before it ever hit. He glared fiercely at Gao as he made more rocks come up and sent each one of them at Zuko. It was easy for him to block them at first, but as more rocks came in larger numbers, it was more challenging. It was hard to fight against an earth bender when you can't even use your own bending. One of the rocks knocked Zuko back, when he stood he wasn't facing Gao, so he didn't see him get ready to attack him again.

"Look out!" Kotaro called from the crowd that had gathered.

"Behind you!" Lee called. Zuko heard them both but didn't turn in time to properly defend himself from the attack. Gao brought up an onslaught of rocks and sent them at Zuko, he was able to block most of them before they did any really bad damage, but they kept pushing him back until Gao brought up another boulder that knocked him down onto his back. In his pain, he felt his eyes shut and he lay there.

"Get up!" Lee whispered as Gao came closer to Zuko's body, ready to deliver the final blow. Zuko's eyes shot open and grabbed his swords, fire bursting out from his fists, knocking Gao on his back. Everyone gaped at the sight of the young man surrounded by flames. Gao jumped up and got into a fighting stance, ready to defend himself as Zuko came running towards him, shooting waves of fire at the Earth Kingdom soldier. When Gao brought up a stone to defend himself against the blast of fire coming towards him, it was broken off by the sheer force the flame gave and pushed him back into a building, making all kinds of rubble fall on top of him and trapping him there.

"Who… Who are you?" Gao rasped as he saw Zuko walk over to him.

"My name is Zuko!" He declared proudly as he sheathed his Dao blades, "Son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai! Prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne!" Kotaro felt his eyes bug out of his head. Prince Zuko? _The_ Prince Zuko? The prince of the nation who imprisoned and enslaved his people? Murmurs of shock pulsed through the crowd as they took in this information.

"Liar!" An old man called from his place in the crowd, "I heard a' you! You're not a prince, you're an outcast! His own father burned and disowned him!" Kotaro looked back to Zuko, specifically the scar on his face. He had heard the rumors, but he never thought them to be true. His master never spoke of the prince, so he never really knew the truth. When he had heard the rumor about being burned and disowned at thirteen, Kotaro wouldn't believe it, saying no father in his right mind would burn and banish his own son. He watched as Zuko took a step closer to Gao, who cowered in fear. Zuko pulled something from his belt and Kotaro saw it was pearl dagger. He walked over to where Lee was being untied by his mother. When she realized he was coming to them, she stepped in front of her son in a protective manner.

"Not a step closer!" She warned. Lee looked out behind his mother and saw Zuko kneel down, holding out the dagger.

"It's yours, you should have it." Zuko said.

"No! I hate you!" Lee said before turning around and leaving him there. Kotaro offered no words of comfort to the prince or any words in his defense to the crowd. He hated his people and his family for everything they had done, but he couldn't find it in his heart to hate the young prince.

He watched from the shadows as he rode out of the town, some of the villagers giving him hateful looks as he passed them. He saw Lee was one of them, but didn't look directly at the fire bender. He glared at the ground beneath his feet instead. Kotaro moved silently through the streets, quickly purchasing a map and walking away from the city. He wouldn't trouble Lee and his family again, he would camp out under the stars tonight instead. He looked up into the darkening dusk sky, seeing the first stars beginning to shine through the sunlight. He let out a small sigh, his hand resting over his heart. How he missed his beloved Hoshiko. He knew, though, once he reached the Shinjun encampment near Ba-Sing-Se, it would only be a matter of time before he was reunited with those he loved.

* * *

**Hey peoples! I saw this episode and I was inspired to put in a little story. So I decided to make Zuko meet Kotaro and all that stuff.**

**Please review! I feel so unwanted when people don't review.**


	12. The Chase

12

Hoshiko looked up at the sky as the sun began to sink closer towards the horizon. She looked over at Appa's head and looked over at Aang.

"It's almost sunset." She said, "We should probably make camp soon." Aang looked to see the sun setting and nodded in agreement.

"I'll find us a good spot." He said, looking at the ground below them for a clearing to land Appa. Hoshiko leaned back in the saddle and looked over at Toph, who gripped onto Appa's saddle with a steel iron hold.

"Still not used to flying?" She asked the earth bender. Toph shook her head.

"Nuh-uh." She replied. Hoshiko looked back up at the sky.

"Took me a while to get used to it, too." She said, "Don't worry, eventually you'll see what a convenience it is."

"Sure." Toph replied, sounding somewhat sarcastic.

Eventually, Aang found a clearing in a forest that would make for a good campsite. He had Appa land there, and Hoshiko noticed that some of Appa's fur had come off, and in a huge amount that surrounded the ground beneath him in a way that looked like he was standing in a furry, bison-sized puddle. Toph was the first one off once they landed, Katara and Sokka doing the same. Hoshiko grabbed her bag and jumped off the saddle, walking next to Sokka to help him take some of the bags down.

"Hey," Toph said, walking over to where they were, "You guys picked a great campsite." She wiggled her toes in Appa's fur, "The grass is so soft."

"That's not grass." Sokka said, "Appa's shedding." Katara looked down at her feet and saw that some of Appa's fur had stuck to her shoe.

"Oh, gross!" She groaned.

"That's not gross, it's just a part of spring." Aang said from his spot on the saddle, "You know; rebirth, flowers blooming, and Appa gets a new coat." Katara looked over at Appa as he was biting at himself to get rid of an itch.

"Ah, the beauty of spring." Katara said sarcastically as Appa made a sound of disgust and showed that his tongue was covered in clumps of his own fur. Appa let out a ferocious sneeze, making some of his excess fur go flying into the air. The fur floated over the group and landed on their clothes. Appa shook his head to try and get rid of as much as he could and Katara held her hands out to try and make him stop. "Stop! Appa, stop!" She coughed as some of his fur landed in her mouth.

"It's not that bad, Katara." Sokka said as he gathered up some of Appa's fur, he turned around to show he had piled it on his head and made it look like he had white hair, "It makes a great wig!"

Aang jumped down from the saddle, wearing a large, fluffy white beard, "And a great beard!" He agreed, gesturing to it. Hoshiko came around Sokka and they saw her ears and tail covered in Appa's fur.

"And look!" She said, "My fur is white now!" Everyone laughed at how the others looked. Katara just sent them an annoyed look.

"I'm just glad we finally have some more girls in this group because you guys are _disgusting_." She said as she brushed off some of the fur on her shoulder. Toph walked over to the group, her hands behind her back.

"Excuse me, does anyone have a razor?" She asked, she lifted up her arms and put her hands behind her head to she the white fur stuffed into her sleeves, "Because I got some _hairy_ pits!" Everyone but Katara burst into laughter at the sight. And they kept laughing until Aang let out a powerful sneeze that blew all the fur away and pushed him back into Appa and making him fall flat on his face into the ground, Appa's fur now attached to his back and everyone laughed again. Even Katara let out a giggle, even if she did hide it behind her hand.

* * *

Hoshiko looked up as Katara approached her. "Hoshiko, do you think you could set up the fire pit?"

"Sure." Hoshiko said, she got up and saw where Aang was setting up the tent. She marked a good spot for the fire pit by making a circle with her foot. She looked over at Aang as he used air bending to set up the tent faster. Someone tapped her shoulder and she saw it was Sokka, holding out some logs for firewood.

"I went ahead and got some for ya." He said, Hoshiko took them from his grasp and dropped them in the little circle she had made.

"Great, thanks." Hoshiko said, "Why don't you go and gather some food so we can cook something over this fire?"

"Sure thing." Sokka said, walking back into the forest. Hoshiko maneuvered the logs so they would be able to be burned without having to worry about whether or not the starter flame would go out. She looked over at Katara as she saw her mixing up some of the water that they would drink. Katara looked over at Toph and saw her leaning against some rocks in a relaxed sort of way, a green bag next to her, and a wheat stalk being moved back and forth was in her mouth.

Katara's face turned into a small scowl and she walked over to the earth bender.

"So, Toph," She began once she reached her, "Usually when setting up camp we try to divide up the work."

"Hey, don't worry about me." Toph replied, "I'm good to go."

"Well, actually, what I'm trying to say is," Katara continued, "Some of us might fetch water while someone else might set up the fire pit or put up the tent." The entire time she spoke, she gestured to Hoshiko, Aang, or Sokka as they did work. She looked up as Momo flew over, dropping a few nuts in her hand and she smiled, "Even Momo does his fair share."

"Katara, I'm fine." Toph insisted as she pulled the wheat stalk out of her mouth, "I can carry my own weight. I don't need a fire," She patted the green bag next to her, "I've already collected my own food, and look!" She sat up a bit straighter and bent up two slabs of earth that made a stone tent over her head. Katara dropped the nuts Momo had given her in surprise before she glowered down at the young blind girl, "My tent's all set up!"

"Well, that's great for _you_," Katara said, "But we still need to finish-"

"I don't understand!" Toph interrupted, "What's the problem here?" The two girls glared at each other, fists clenched tightly, for a moment. Then Katara turned her back on Toph and began to stalk back to her spot where the drinking water was.

"Never mind." She muttered as Toph pushed herself into her tent. Hoshiko looked upon the two in a mixture of surprise and curiosity. She thought maybe Katara and Toph might be able to get along, but they never really spoke to each other so they never really knew one another…

She shrugged it off as she lit the bunch of leaves she placed underneath the logs of wood to help start the fire. They just need time to get used to one another, that's all.

* * *

A few hours later, once the sun had just sunk beneath the earth and the sky had turned a lovely purple shade, everyone was still doing their work, except Toph, who still sat in her earth tent. Hoshiko sat next to the fire as food was cooked over it, a few fish were turning to a lovely golden color, and a bag of fruit had been set aside for Aang. Hoshiko looked over as Sokka made gestures for Aang to take off Appa's saddle and give it to him. Aang moved it up with air bending and the saddle fell on top of Sokka, who couldn't move under the weight of it. Hoshiko laughed, pointing her finger at him as he squirmed underneath it. Aang jumped down from atop his bison, saying quick apologies as he helped him out from under the saddle.

Katara looked over at where Toph was munching on some of her food. Katara looked down, feeling bad about what she had said before, and waked over to Toph with a friendly smile.

"Hey, Toph." She greeted, "I wanted to apologize for earlier. I think we're all just a little tired and getting on each other's nerves." Toph gulped down the bite she was eating.

"Yeah, you do seem pretty tired." She commented mildly. Katara scowled.

"I meant _all_ of us." She said pointedly. Toph said nothing as she crumpled up the remains of her food.

"Well, goodnight." Toph said as she crawled into the earth tent and snuggled into the dirt.

"Goodnight." Katara said with resignation, figuring out that Toph was convinced that she could carry her own weight and nothing she could say would get through to the young earth bender. She walked over to where Sokka and Hoshiko were sitting, munching on the fish that had been caught while Aang ate a moon peach. Hoshiko handed one fish to Katara and she accepted it. The group ate with the occasional conversation topic floating over their heads. Hoshiko teased Sokka relentlessly about the fact that he had kept the women's bag, and he argued that it was only for convenience's sake that he kept it around. The group laughed when Hoshiko had made a comical retort about Sokka's manhood, and Sokka almost screamed his retort to her and everyone laughed even harder.

* * *

_Hoshiko stood, alone, in darkness. She could see only herself, but she knew she wasn't safe._

"_Well, well, well…" A voice drawled, "Come to me again, have we?" Hoshiko turned and saw a figure floating around in the blackness surrounding her. She had the same form as Hoshiko, and the same shape, but everything about was black. Her clothes, her hair, her skin, her ears and tail, they were all black. She seemed to have her legs attached to the wall of darkness surrounding her. Her eyes had white pupils and irises, and that was the only way to see her face, other than the rows of sharp teeth that showed in her mouth when she grinned maliciously at her. "How pathetic."_

_Hoshiko glared at her as she floated around her, "You say you don't need me, but we __**both**__ know that's a lie." She said the grin still on her face as she moved around, her body looking like a slithering snake, but with Hoshiko's arms and head, "Why don't you just give in forever? You know I can get you to what you need."_

"_Never." Hoshiko growled, glaring at the shadowy figure, "Tempt me all you want, Kagemi. I will __**never**__ give in to you." Kagemi's grin disappeared and a frown showed on her blackened face._

"_But you know what I'm capable of." She said, "What __**we're**__ capable of." She moved behind her, putting her hands on Hoshiko's shoulders and speaking directly in her ear, "Like that bastard general in Chin. We could've finally taken his life. He would have finally understood the pain of slavery under him. He would choke on that pain and die."_

"_And what good would that do?" Hoshiko asked, snapping her head towards Kagemi, who had disappeared into the darkness again, "Nothing good will come of death! Nothing!"_

"_Oh, Hoshi…" Kagemi cooed, "You still believe such lies?" She materialized in front of her, "Dearest Hoshiko," She placed her hand on Hoshiko's cheek, "That is only your sorrow talking. Great things can come of the enemy's death." Hoshiko pushed Kagemi's hand away, glaring, "If the enemy dies, the war is as good as over. I say we destroy the fire benders that took our freedoms from us." She began to circle Hoshiko like a prowling lion, "The fire benders that took our homes, our happiness," She leaned in and murmured in her ear, "Our families." Hoshiko's face saddened and she placed her hand over her heart as she thought of her parents. Kagemi's hand covered hers and she looked to her sympathetically. "They were my family as well. If you simply let my power take over, we can avenge them. Give them the joy of knowing the ones that slain them have suffered." Hoshiko scowled and she moved her hand away._

"_No." She said, "My mother and father were good, kind people." She glared at Kagemi, who frowned, "To avenge them, to take the lives of the ones who killed them… It would make their spirits cry. As much as I want to take them down, those fire benders have family and friends who love them. They are still human. Avenging my parents would be no different than senseless murder." As Hoshiko kept speaking, she saw the dark world around her shake as Kagemi seemed to grow more and more infuriated._

"_You naïve child!" Kagemi hissed angrily, "You are a fool! And you shall die a fool's death!" Kagemi raised one claw in the air and got ready to bring it down upon Hoshiko's head._

* * *

"There's something coming toward us!" Toph shouted. Hoshiko jolted awake, seeing that her conversation with her alternate self was only a dream. Sokka and Katara stuck their heads out from the tent, while she raised her head from her sleeping bag. Aang jumped off his bison's paw to see what the problem was.

"What is it?" Aang asked. Toph knelt down and put her hand on the ground, feeling the earth's vibrations.

"It feels like an avalanche." She said, "But, also _not_ an avalanche."

"Your powers of perception are _frightening_." Sokka said sarcastically.

"Should we leave?" Katara asked.

"Better safe than sorry." Aang replied. The five of them quickly gathered their things and got on Appa. As they lifted up into the sky, they saw the cloud of dust that was brought up by whatever was following them. The group stared at it as they flew away.

"What is that thing…?" Katara asked quietly. No one on the saddle could answer her.

* * *

After flying for about two and a half hours, and the group was sure they had lost the thing that had come after them, Aang landed the bison in a clearing. Toph was the first one off the bison jumping down happily to the ground below them and lying down in the dirt.

"_Ahh_!" She sighed in relief, "Land, sweet land!" She jumped up, grabbing her bag of things she had pulled off the bison, "See you guys in the morning!"

"Actually, can you help us unload?" Katara asked, making Toph stop in her tracks. She turned to Katara, her nose wrinkling in disgust.

"_Really_? You need _me_ to help unload Sokka's funky-smelling sleeping bag?" She asked. Sokka looked down at his sleeping bag and sniffed at it. He grimaced at the horrible odor and held it away at arms-length before falling over. Hoshiko allowed herself a small giggle.

"Well, yeah." Katara said, ignoring her brother and walking over to Toph, "That, and everything else. You're a part of our team now, and-"

"Look!" Toph interrupted, jabbing her finger at Katara, but not looking at her, "I didn't ask _you_ to help unload my stuff. I'm carrying my own weight."

"That's not the point!" Katara said, scowling. She marched over to the blind earth bender as she spoke, "Ever since you joined us, you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful!"

"_What_?" Toph growled, "Look here, Sugar Queen," She pointed her finger at Katara's face again, making her shake in fury, "I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang earth bending, so don't you talk to me about being selfish!" Toph sat down and bent up two slabs of earth to make her earth tent again.

"_Sugar Queen?_!" Katara repeated angrily. Toph bent up two more slabs of earth to cover the open ends of her earth tent. "Di- Did you just slam the door in my face?" Katara began pounding against the earth angrily, "How can you be so infuriating?" She kicked and punched at the earthen walls she couldn't break away. Hoshiko, Aang, and Sokka stood together, watching the spectacle. Aang and Hoshiko had blank looks on their faces while Sokka was looking mildly pleased.

"Should we… do something?" Aang asked after a moment.

"Hey, I'm just enjoying the show." Sokka said with a grin.

Hoshiko walked over to Katara, deciding to stop this now, "Okay, okay." Katara stopped hitting the earth tent and looked at Hoshiko out of the corner of her eye, "You both need to calm down."

"Both?" Katara repeated, "_I'M COMPLETELY CALM!_!" She turned to her, her eyes wide and bloodshot from going without sleep. The sight was actually quite terrifying. Hoshiko stared at her as Katara heaved in breaths of air. One of her ears drooped slightly as she looked at her with wide eyes. She began to back away slowly from her.

"I can see that…" She said, scooting over back to Sokka and Aang. After taking a few deep breaths, Katara calmed herself down a little and they began to set up camp. They didn't start a fire or set up a tent because they were all too tired, so they got out their sleeping bags, except for Aang, who preferred to sleep on the ground, and lay down underneath the starry sky. Hoshiko, Aang, and Sokka were ready to fall asleep at that very moment, but Katara had other plans.

"The stars sure are beautiful, tonight." She said, loud enough for Toph, and everyone else, to hear. Sokka yanked his sleeping bag above his head to try and get rid of the noise of his sister, and Hoshiko yanked her ears down to her face, "Too bad you can't see them, _Toph_!" Hoshiko heard a grunt from Toph's earth tent and Katara went flying up into the air and landed on her brother. Sokka pushed her off him with a grunt.

"Hey, how's a guy supposed to sleep with all this _yelling_, and _earth-quaking?_!" He demanded of the two girls. The 'door' to Toph's tent descended into the earth and Toph poked her head out, her hand on the ground.

"That thing is back!" She said. Aang, Katara, and Hoshiko exchanged worried looks.

"Well, how far away is it?" Sokka asked as he pulled his sleeping bag over his head again, "Maybe we can close our eyes just for a few minutes…" Aang looked in the direction they had come from and saw a smoke stack making its way through the dark sky towards them.

"I don't think so, Sokka." He said, "Let's get out of here." Sokka gave a groan in return but did as he said as they all boarded Appa. As they flew into the air, they saw the dust cloud of the thing that was following them. Katara and Hoshiko looked at it from the back of the saddle.

"Seriously, what _is_ that thing?" Katara asked, rubbing away some of the sleepiness in her eyes.

"And how does it keep finding us?" Toph asked, leaning over the saddle.

"I don't know." Aang replied, "But this time, I'm gonna make sure we lose them." He whipped Appa's reigns to make him go faster. They flew over so many things. Crevices in the earth, over large hills, and even larger forests. They flew for hours until they finally reached a mountain. Aang had Appa descend on a small plateau and he landed. Appa was so tired, he fell to the side once his feet touched the ground and basically had everyone pour out of his saddle onto the earth below them. Sokka grabbed his sleeping bag, which he hadn't bothered to roll up, and wiggled himself in.

"Okay, forget about setting up camp." He said, moving around in his sleeping bag like a worm on the ground, "I'm finding the _softest_ pile of dirt, and going to sleep."

"That's good because Toph wasn't gonna help anyway." Katara said, pulling her rolled up sleeping bag to her head and using it as a pillow, Hoshiko did the same.

"Oh, I didn't realize _baby_ still needed someone to tuck her in bed." Toph shot back.

"Come on, guys." Aang said sleepily, "There's something after us and we don't even know what _or_ who it is."

"It could be Zuko." Katara said, "We haven't seen him since the North Pole."

"Who's Zuko?" Toph asked.

"Oh, just some angry freak with a ponytail who's tracked us all over the world." Sokka said before placing his face in his sleeping bag. Hoshiko smirked and she looked over at him.

"What's wrong with ponytails, Ponytail?" She teased.

"_This_," Sokka said, his voice muffled by the sleeping bag as he pointed to his ponytail, "Is a _warrior's wolf tail_."

"Well, it certainly tells the _other_ warriors that you're fun and perky!" She said with a grin, not seeing Sokka's glare towards her.

"Anyway, whoever's chasing us couldn't have followed us here." Sokka said, rolling over on his back, "So, now would everyone just _shuush_?" He lay back on his sleeping bag, his arm over his eyes. Momo suddenly ran over to him and jumped on his stomach, making all kinds of chirps and screeches. Sokka stopped him by placing his hand on the lemur's head, "No, Momo." He said tiredly, "_Shuu_… Sleepy time." Momo jumped off his stomach and walked over his head as he went to the edge of the plateau and screeched, looking back at them. Suddenly realizing what it might mean, Sokka thunked his head against the ground, "Oh, don't tell me."

"That's _impossible_." Aang said, looking at the rest of the group as he and Toph stood, "There's no way they could've tracked us."

"I can feel it with my own two feet!" Toph said. Katara and Hoshiko stood up and they all ran to the edge of the plateau that Momo had been, and was still screeching at. They all saw a large, metal train-like tank come up over the hill and closer to them.

"Let's get out of here." Katara said.

"Maybe we should face them. Find out who they are." Aang said, "Who knows? Maybe they're friendly."

"_Always_ the optimist." Sokka sighed out. The train/tank came closer to them and stopped. One of the hatches opened and revealed three figures that, in the dark, appeared to have slithering bodies and large growths on their backs. As they got closer, the group realized the growths were actually people riding on mongoose dragons. One was a pretty girl, all dressed in pink with a long braid. Another was a gloomy looking girl with dark hair and red and black clothing. The third was a girl with brown hair in a traditional Fire Nation top knot and clothes with sharp eyes and her brown hair framing her face. Hoshiko recognized them immediately as Princess Azula and her two friends. They rode closer to the group on the part of the mountain path that was too narrow for the train/tank to go through.

"It's those three girls from Omashu!" Katara said, everyone got into fighting stances, ready to face them.

"We can take 'em." Toph said, "Three on four!"

"Actually, Toph, there's _five_ of us." Sokka said.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't count you." Toph said, "You know, no bending and all."

"_I can still fight!_!" Sokka shouted.

"Okay, three on four plus Sokka." Toph said, amending her statement. Sokka growled angrily at her but decided now was not the time to beat up the blind earth bending master and turned back to the three Fire Nation girls. Toph bent up jagged rocks of earth to try and block their ascent towards them, but the mongoose dragons easily maneuvered around them and got ever closer to the group.

"Well, we wanted to find out who they were; we found out." Sokka said, "Now let's get out of here!" Everyone but Toph headed for the bison. Toph stayed behind to make a six foot wall of earth to stop them. Hoshiko watched in horror as Azula began moving her arms and shooting out a lightning bolt to blast the wall open, the bolt went straight through and hit the part of the plateau that Toph stood over, making it crumble.

"Shit!" She cursed, "Toph, move!" She ran away from the bison as Toph began to fall. She reached out for her and an inky tentacle extended from her arm as it shot out and wrapped itself around Toph's waist and pulled her onto the stable surface of the plateau. She pulled Toph to herself and she grabbed onto her shirt sleeve and pushed her towards the bison. She looked back to the three girls and met eyes with the princess. _To have mastered lightning when she's so young…!_ She thought to herself, she had heard that the princess was a prodigy, but lightning bending was something even most fire bending masters couldn't accomplish in their life time. Azula was truly a woman to be feared.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she saw the gloomy-looking one shoot daggers out of a holder in her sleeve. She brought up a small shadowy circle to block them. One, however, wasn't caught by the shadow and grazed her shoulder, ripping the sleeve. She cringed at the sudden sting but let it be as she ran towards Appa, trying to avoid the princess's blasts of blue fire. Sokka held out his hand to her and she grabbed onto it as they took off. He quickly pulled her onto the saddle as they flew away from the girls.

"You okay?" Sokka asked once they were a safe distance away. Hoshiko nodded, holding the shoulder that had been injured.

"Yeah, it's just a scratch." She said, pulling her hand away to look at it. To her surprise, the wound was actually much deeper than she had originally thought, and a small trickle of blood was leaking out from the two inch cut. Her hand was stained red with blood and she quickly covered it back up so the others couldn't see. "It just needs a bandage."

"Here, let me see it." Katara said, scooting over to her and pulling her water out of its container. Hoshiko moved her hand from her sleeve and everyone saw how deep the cut was and that it had already stained her kimono top, "You call _that_ a scratch?" Katara asked as she began to heal it.

"Sort of." Hoshiko said, shrugging her uninjured shoulder. After a moment, Katara pulled her hands away and all that was left of the cut was a small, pinkish scar. Hoshiko inspected the new scar on her body, "Tiny little thing, innit?"

"Yeah, well the next scar you get might not be so tiny." Katara said, "You should be more careful." Hoshiko rolled her eyes as she leaned back against the saddle.

"Whatever." She dismissed. Katara huffed out a breath and looked over the side of the saddle.

"I can't believe those girls followed us all the way from Omashu." She said in mild shock.

"I _still_ think we could've taken 'em." Toph said, pouting slightly as she held onto the saddle and looked over the side.

"Are you kidding me?" Katara asked, "The crazy blue fire bending and flying daggers are bad enough! But, last time we saw them, one of those girls did something that _took my bending away_. That's scary."

"It _is_ a pretty terrifying position to be in." Hoshiko said, picking at the scar on her shoulder. Everyone but Toph looked up as the sun began to peek over to the hills they flew by.

"Oh _no_, the sun is rising!" Sokka groaned as he looked at it, "We've been up all night with no sleep!"

"Sokka, we'll be okay." Aang said, not looking at him.

"Are you sure?" Sokka asked quickly, "I've never not slept before!" He grasped at his face, "What if I fall asleep _now_ and something _happens_, and something _always_ happens!" Hoshiko quirked an eyebrow at his odd behavior, and then she came to notice something she hadn't seen in the dark cover of night. Everyone had little, dark circles under their eyes from their lack of sleep. Everyone was tired and exhausted and needed to rest. Sokka was just going through a stage of paranoia due to sleep depravation. Give everyone else a few hours and _they'd_ all be paranoid as well, she realized. Hoshiko grabbed the back of Sokka's shirt and yanked him down onto the saddle away from Aang.

"Every time we land, those girls are there." Katara said, "So, we'll just have to keep flying."

"We can't keep flying forever." Aang said. Hoshiko was about to ask 'why not?' when she came upon _another_ realization. They were flying because of Appa, and he was just as much a living being as they were. He needed rest, too. The only one who had gotten any rest at all was probably Momo. She felt like smacking herself for realizing something so much later than she should. Sleep had muddled her thoughts, and she couldn't think as clearly as she normally would. She figured things out slower than normal, and she could barely think anything as quickly as she should have. With a start, she figured out the princess's plan, she was tracking them as quickly and as often as she could, making sure they were exhausted and unable to fight back when she caught them.

Aang yawned, "So what's the plan?" He asked sleepily.

"Don't know." Toph mumbled, "Too tired to think." She sunk further down into the saddle, her grip still holding on it as she did so.

"I'm sure we'll come up with something after a short nap." Katara said, leaning against the saddle's back. Hoshiko was delighted at the idea of sleep, and she curled up in a corner on the opposite side of the saddle and shut her eyes without another word.

"Yes…!" Sokka agreed happily, "Sleep." Everyone laid still, eyes shut, as they began to nap, not realizing the sudden speed they were picking up in the downward direction until they were flying away from the saddle. Everyone awoke with a start when they lost their spots on the saddle in exchange for the air above it. Everyone quickly grabbed onto a part of the saddle, or each other as they fell.

"What's going on?" Toph shouted over the wind in her ears.

"Appa fell asleep!" Aang exclaimed. Everyone screamed as they plummeted toward the earth. Aang pulled himself closer to Appa's face, crawling to the front, "Wake up, buddy!" With a shriek Hoshiko lost her grip on the saddle and began to fly in the air. Katara tried to reach for her, but to no avail. With a start, Appa's eyes opened and he pumped his tail to stop falling. Hoshiko tried to grab onto the saddle at that moment, and she landed on the outside of the saddle instead of inside it. Appa glided through the trees, Hoshiko felt the needles from the pines pricking against her skin as she flew by, she howled out in pain when one of her legs banged against the trunk of one of the trees. The bison landed with a crash next to a river. His eyes shut as he took in soft breaths, or what could be soft breaths for a ten ton flying bison. Hoshiko released the saddle and fell to Appa's side with a thud.

Aang slid off the sleeping bison's head as everyone got off the saddle, "Appa's exhausted." Aang said, sounding rather tired himself. Hoshiko carefully sat up, wincing as she felt a sharp pain in her ankle.

"Okay, we've put a _lot_ of distance between us and them." Sokka said as he and Katara carried their sleeping bags off and away from the bison, "The plan right now is to follow Appa's lead and get some sleep."

"Of course, we _could've_ gotten some sleep earlier if _Toph_ didn't have such _issues_." Katara said, glaring at the earth bender who lay on the ground. Toph's eyes shot open, she gripped the ground so hard, large cracks came through the dirt, bending out some of her anger without realizing it.

"_WHAT?_!" She almost screamed it out.

"Alright, alright, alright!" Hoshiko said, leaning against the bison so as not to put any weight on her hurt leg, "Everyone. Is. _Exhausted_. Let's just get some rest."

"No!" Toph said stubbornly, turning to Katara, "I wanna hear what Katara has to say. You think I have _issues_?"

"I'm just saying," Katara began, "Maybe if you helped out earlier, we could've set up our camp faster and gotten some sleep. _And then maybe we wouldn't be in this situation!_!"

"You're blaming _me_ for this?" Toph asked angrily as she stomped over to Katara. In response, Katara threw her tent away and made a gesture at Toph as if to say 'Come on!' Aang quickly moved in front of Katara, his arms up defensively as he tried to give the blind girl a friendly smile (Though it came out as nervous).

"No, no!" He said, "She's not blaming you!"

"No, I'm blaming her!" Katara corrected.

"Hey!" Toph grabbed Aang's shoulder and pushed him out of the way, so he landed next to Hoshiko, "I never asked you for diddly-doo-da! I carry my own weight! Besides! If there's anyone to blame, it's Sheddy over here!"

"What?" Aang gasped, "You're blaming _Appa_?"

"Yeah! You wanna know how they keep finding us?" Toph walked over to the bison and pulled out some of the fur he was shedding, "He's leaving a trail everywhere we go!"

"How _dare_ you blame Appa!" Aang said, glaring at her, "He's saved your life three times today!" He marched over to Toph, "If there's anyone to blame, it's _you_! You're always talking about how you 'carry your own weight' but you're not! _He_ is! _Appa's_ carrying your weight! He _never_ had a problem flying when it was just the four of us!" Toph's face was unmoving and unemotional as she walked away from Aang and kicked her bag up into her arms with earth bending.

"I'm outta here." Toph grumbled as she slung the bag over her shoulder.

"No, Toph!" Hoshiko called. She tried to move after her, but pain shot up through her body the second her injured foot touched the ground. She couldn't have broken it, could she? No, it was just a sprain, maybe a little bruise. She should be fine.

Sokka walked out in front of Toph, holding out his arms to stop her, "Wait."

Toph didn't listen to him as she moved the earth underneath him to move him out of her way as she kept walking. Everyone stared after her.

"Good riddance." Katara said once she was out of sight. Hoshiko stared up at her incredulously.

"Are you _nuts?_!" She demanded of her, "Don't you realize what's just happened?" Katara and Aang stared at her curiously, "_Augh!_ You idiots! Who the hell is Aang supposed to learn earth bending from _now?_!" Both their eyes went wide when she told them this, "I can't believe you sent her away! This is exactly what those girls want! They want us to get tired and irritable and argue with each other, so that when she faces us, she won't have any problems taking us down!"

"What did I just _do?_!" Aang lamented as he collapsed next to Hoshiko's limp form against the bison, "I can't believe I yelled at my earth bending teacher. Now she's gone."

"I know." Katara said sadly, "We're all just trying to get used to each other. And I was so _mean_ to her…"

"Yeah, you two were pretty much jerks." Sokka said from his place on his sleeping bag. Katara scowled.

"Thanks, Sokka." She said sarcastically.

"No problem." Sokka replied, obviously not awake enough to hear the sarcasm in her voice. Katara turned to Aang.

"We need to find Toph and apologize." She said, Aang nodded his head in agreement.

"Okay, but what are we gonna do about the tank full of _dangerous ladies_ chasing us?" Sokka asked. Aang looked over at the bison and pulled out a handful of shed fur. He smiled a little to himself.

"I have a plan." He said, "First, we need to get Appa in that river and clean him up."

"Seriously?" Sokka whined.

"Don't worry, if we all work together, we should finish quickly." Aang said, he looked to Hoshiko, who was still having trouble getting her leg on the ground without feeling pain, "Come on, Hoshiko."

"Just a sec." Hoshiko said. She took a deep breath, _There's nothing wrong with me_, she thought to herself, _I'm fine. I'm worrying too much. There's nothing wrong with me. I can walk this off._ She had her foot touch the ground lightly and then she put all her weight on it. She cried out and fell to her side.

"Hoshiko!" Aang exclaimed, Hoshiko hissed through her teeth in pain, "What happened?" Everyone rushed over to her.

"I hit my leg against one of the trees in Appa's crash." Hoshiko said, "I think it might be broken."

"Let me see." Katara said, pulling out her water to try and heal the leg. Hoshiko felt no pain as she manipulated the water around her injury. She moved it gently, feeling through her skin to see the damage. She pulled her hands away, "It's not broken, but it _is_ pretty close. You shouldn't use it for a while."

"Wonderful." Hoshiko groaned, "I'm going to need a splint, aren't I?" Katara nodded ruefully.

"I think so." She said. She turned to her brother, "Sokka, help her make a splint while Aang and I clean up Appa."

"Got it." Sokka said. He got up and went to find the materials to make a splint while Aang and Katara pushed the bison into the river. He came back with two broken branches and tied them to her leg to help keep it straight. When he was done, he told her to stay there while he helped the others.

"Not like I'm going anywhere…" Hoshiko grumbled to herself as she stayed against the tree. She watched as everyone washed the bison clean, making his fur come off his body and into the river. Once they were finished, they pulled the wet creature out of the river.

"Toph was right." Aang said, "Appa's fur was leaving a trail right to us, but now that he's clean, no more trail!"

"Are you sure he's okay to fly?" Katara asked worriedly.

"He'll be fine as long as we leave his saddle and all our stuff here." Aang walked away from Appa and picked up Sokka's bag and began filling it with some of Appa's fur, "I'm gonna use Appa's fur to make a fake trail and lead the tank off course. You guys get on Appa and go find Toph." Katara and Sokka nodded.

"At least I'll be able to be a pair of eyes for you." Hoshiko said, pushing herself up.

"Careful!" Katara warned, running over to help her stand up. She pulled her arm around her shoulders and helped her up on Appa. When they took off, Appa's belly brushed against the tops of some trees, knocking them down. Aang went off in the opposite direction, dropping fur the whole way.

* * *

They had only been flying for about twenty, maybe thirty minutes. No one had spotted Toph or any sign that she had been there. Hoshiko had insisted earlier that if they put her on the ground she could track Toph (If they were Toph's footprints) and find her, but Katara said it might hurt her leg more than normal to do so.

Sokka looked out on the side opposite Hoshiko's as they scanned the trees for the blind earth bender. "Toph couldn't have made it too far." Sokka said. Momo saw something that made his fur bristle and he hissed threateningly at what he saw. Sokka noticed and scooted closer to the lemur, "What is it Momo- OH NO!" He saw what had made him hiss, and saw the gloomy girl and the pink girl riding closer to them on their mongoose dragons, "Katara!" She looked over at the sound of her name and saw the two girls.

"How did they find us?" She asked, she whipped the reigns to tell Appa to go faster, but their speed didn't increase by much.

"Appa c'mon, we need to go faster!" Sokka said.

"He's too tired!" Katara told him.

"Oh, not good! Not good!" Sokka moaned, he looked and saw a river up ahead. And since lizards couldn't swim, they should be safe on the other side, "We just need to make it across that river!"

"Come on, Appa!" Hoshiko urged, "Just a little further!" The bison's stomach brushed against the tops of many trees and knocked them off. He gave a loud grunt at the effort he was making to fly. Sokka looked over the edge at the two girls and the gloomy one shot her daggers at him. He flew back to avoid the blades hitting his face. When they reached the river, Appa skimmed across the water before finally skidding to a stop on the other side of the river. Everyone looked up and saw the girls and their lizards on the other side.

"We made it! We're safe!" Sokka cheered joyously, he pulled Hoshiko into a tight hug and she pushed him away, making him fall over.

"You did it Appa!" Katara cheered, hugging the bison's face. Hoshiko looked and saw the two girls were still coming towards them at top speed.

"Uh, guys?" She pointed to the two girls as their mongoose dragons came onto the water in the river, their feet moving in fast, elliptical motions to keep them above the water to travel across. Katara bent up a wave of water to push one of the creatures back, but the girl, the pink one by chance, jumped off her dragon to land on the bank of the river while the gloomy girl moved her dragon to the side to avoid it. The pink girl leapt from tree to tree before landing in front of Katara, who whipped out her water to attack, moving back to avoid the girl's jabs. Hoshiko looked and saw the gloomy girl coming onto the shore, she fired three arrows at Katara and Hoshiko brought up a wave of shadow to absorb the attack. She turned and fired at Hoshiko, and Sokka came in front of her knocking away the arrows with his weapons. He threw his boomerang at her and she jumped off her dragon to avoid it. She moved her feet against the ground in a sweeping kick and shot out more arrows from a cartridge on her ankle. Sokka knocked those away as well. The gloomy girl then charged toward Katara, while the pink one went after Sokka.

Hoshiko, at this time, was struggling just to move. She still felt a terrible amount of pain in her leg when she moved, although it wasn't as much as before because of the splint on her leg, but it still hurt. She watched as the pink girl jabbed Sokka's limbs a few times, making them go limp and no longer moving. The gloomy girl went after Katara, and just as she began to bend some water out of the river, she pinned her hands to the tree behind her with her knives. Sokka hopped over to her and fell to the ground, unable to get back having only one leg that could be used.

"How you doing?" Sokka asked.

"Well, you know!" Katara replied. The looked up as the two girls came closer to them.

"I thought when Ty Lee and I _finally_ caught you guys," The gloomy girl began, "It would be more exciting." She sighed, "Oh well, victory is _boring_." Hoshiko finally stood up straight and shot out a huge wave of shadow that pushed the two girls into the river, making them be washed away with it.

"Just because I only have one good leg, doesn't mean I can't still _kick your ass_!" Hoshiko called to them as they disappeared with the current of the river.

"Thanks, Hoshiko." Sokka said. Hoshiko looked down at him and smirked.

"You owe me one." She said, she limped over to Katara and yanked the knives out of the tree and unpinning her wrists. "Come on, we need to get back to Aang."

"And why would that be, exactly?" Sokka asked as Katara walked over to him and began trying to heal him with her water. When the efforts proved useless, Hoshiko rolled her eyes and limped over to him.

"Here let me." She took his arm and twisted it painfully in the air until a sickening _crack!_ was heard.

"OW!" Sokka yelped, quickly moving his arm back to his chest. Then he looked down at it, realizing it was moving and working perfectly, "Oh." He moved his fingers experimentally as Hoshiko did the same thing with his other arm and bad leg.

"In case you didn't notice," Hoshiko said as she tried to push herself up, "There were only two girls following us, Princess Azula is probably after Aang." Both of the Water Tribe siblings looked up at Hoshiko in surprise.

"Princess Azula?" Katara repeated, "Of the Fire Nation? How do you know that was her?"

"Didn't you hear what those girls said in Omashu?" Hoshiko asked, "That one with the buns in her hair, she called her Princess Azula."

"In case you forgot, Hoshiko," Sokka said, "We don't have your super hearing skills! We're human!" Hoshiko blushed and smiled sheepishly.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that…" She muttered, then she became serious again, "But still! Princess Azula is a fire bending prodigy, and Aang only knows air bending and water bending!" The two siblings shared worried looks before they jumped up and they all began to run to Appa.

* * *

Aang looked at his opponent, the girl dressed in traditional Fire Nation clothing from Omashu.

"Do you _really_ want to fight me?" She asked him. He never got a chance to answer, for at that moment, the squawks of an ostrich horse reached their ears and the actual creature ran past them, its rider jumping off in front of them.

"Yes," The rider said, removing his straw hat to show his face, revealing the face of a young man that had been mangled by a large scar sweeping across his left eye and going to his ear, "I really do."

"Zuko!" Aang gasped. He almost hadn't recognized him. Zuko now had a full head of hair instead of the one ponytail on his head, and he wore Earth Kingdom clothes, pretty dirty ones by the looks of it.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, Zuzu." Azula said.

Aang snorted behind his hand, "_Zuzu_?" Zuko stepped in between him and Azula, making the same form for the both of them.

"Back off, Azula!" Zuko ordered, "He's mine." Azula smirked as she got into a fighting position.

"I'm not going _anywhere_." She said. Aang realized this was going to be a three way fight and readied himself, he held out his staff, ready to air bend when he had to. The three of them stood there in their fighting positions, waiting for someone to make the first move. The tension was almost unbearable, two seconds seemed to be two hours, or longer. Aang looked between the two fire benders, waiting for one of them to strike, because he knew he wasn't going to strike first. Zuko, who stood in between them looked at each one carefully, unsure of who would strike. He looked over at Aang, seeing his tired eyes but not caring about them, then he looked to his sister, still smirking arrogantly like always. At the last second, Zuko saw his sister's smirk grow larger and she shot out a blast of blue fire at him. He managed to block it but the force of it was enough to send him flying back.

Aang instantly turn and ran, opening his glider to fly away. Azula created a pillar of fire above him and brought him to the ground. He looked up to see Azula running along the rooftop of one of the houses in the ghost town they were in. She jumped off to strike at him, and Aang rolled out of the way. She did a flaming sweep of the feet to try and burn him, but he ran away from that as well. He dodged as Zuko sent a blast of fire at both of them, and Azula blocked it. He fired off a few more blasts at both of them, Azula sent blasts back, and Aang sent waves of air in return. Suddenly, Zuko jumped up and tried to cover his sister in flames but she blocked that as well. Now that they were closer, their blasts would be much more powerful than before, so they fired. She sent a blast at him that sent him back, like before, and a similar one at Aang that made him run up nearby stairs and into one of the abandoned homes. Azula followed him and almost fell over when she realized the second floor of the abandoned house _had_ no second floor. Aang sat on a whirling ball of air and waved at her with a smile from ten feet away. Quickly regaining her balance, she jumped out of the way from the door and put her back against the wall. Zuko, not quite as graceful as his sister, ran straight into the building and fell straight down into the first floor. Azula laughed and Aang winced a little. He looked back to Azula as she shot a fire blast at him and he jumped off his air scooter. He ran along what was left of the second floor quickly and pushed her off of it and onto the first floor to join her brother while he ran out the door and into the streets again.

The door to the house blasted open, throwing Zuko onto his back and losing consciousness. Azula then shot at Aang, who quickly dodged her blasts by jumping between the two walls of a building as swiftly as he could. When he reached the corner of one of the buildings, Azula sliced it off with her fire bending so he would fall. Aang grabbed onto the remaining building and she cut that off as well. Aang fell into the house, and grabbed onto a lone shelf, or possibly leftover flooring for the second story, and it fell upon him as he kept going down. He trapped himself underneath the rubble of the house. Azula came into the house and set the walls ablaze the blue fire cooling as it turned orange. Aang struggled to get out, but he found he could not. Azula walked closer to him and lifted up her hand to shoot fire at him, when Aang's eye caught someone in the doorway behind her. A watery stream shot out and wrapped itself around Azula's wrist, pulling her back. Then she used that same stream to break the rubble enough so Aang could get out.

"Katara!" He cried, joyous to see his friend. Azula shot a blast of fire at her and she ran out of the house before it could hit her. She followed her, prepared to fight, but suddenly tripped. She looked to see an inky tentacle had wrapped around her ankle and pulled her down. She saw the Shinjun responsible and glared at her, sending a blast of fire. She blocked it with shadow bending, then her face twisted into one of pain as she jumped back and Azula noticed the splint on her leg. Taking the advantage, she ran over to her to strike, but stopped when Sokka stepped out in front of her and knocked her hand away with his weapon. She jumped back to avoid him and looked around, seeing the four of them begin to advance on her. She sent blasts at them, alternating between each one, and blocked the water, shadow, and air attacks as best she could. They began to advance on her again, and she sent a wave of fire at them. Suddenly, the earth underneath her pushed her off her feet, making her fall to the ground. The four of them looked to see a blind girl in an earth bending pose, smiling at them.

"I thought you guys could use a little help." Toph said.

"Thanks." Katara said. Azula jumped up and ran from the group, throwing fire blasts at them before she ran into a nearby alley. She seemed to have escaped them, but was pushed back when she met the belly of her uncle. Iroh and Zuko joined the five of them as they advanced on Azula, backing her into a corner.

"Well, look at this," She said, observing the seven of them around her, "Enemies and traitors, all working together." She raised her arms into the air in a motion of surrender, "I'm done. I know when I'm beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor." Nobody made a move, still holding their fighting positions in case she attacked again. She looked around the group and smirked, suddenly shooting a blast of fire at her uncle's chest and knocking him to the ground. A look of utter horror passed over Zuko's face for a single second, and then everyone fired at her. Air, water, earth, boomerang, shadow, and fire all went towards her and she blocked it by making a whirling orb of blue flame. The reaction was a huge explosion, sending rubble flying everywhere, covering just about everything stationary nearby in flames. When the smoke from the explosion had cleared, they looked to see that Azula had disappeared. They looked around them, not seeing Zuko either, and saw him kneeling next to his injured uncle, grasping at his hair seemingly in frustration.

The five of them got closer, but once they were four feet closer to him, he turned around and roared, "Get away from us!" They all froze at his sudden fury for a moment, but Katara stepped forward.

"Zuko, I can help." She told him, she was about to explain her healing abilities but Zuko shot a wave of fire above their heads.

"LEAVE!" He commanded. The group all shared looks, deciding to obey him and ran. They ran to Appa and took off into the air. Everyone leaned against the saddle as they flew, exhaustion tugging at their eyes. They had spent the entire day running from Azula and her little posse, and fighting them as well. As the night sky began to fall upon them, Aang landed the bison on a small mountaintop and everyone curled up in the saddle, instantly falling asleep for the first time in over twenty four hours. Hoshiko was so tired, she didn't even meet with Kagemi, instead, she dreamed of her family and friends.

* * *

**Hey guys!**

**So, I have been doing this for a while, and I haven't gotten a whole lot of reviews...**

**It makes me very sad.**

**I really want some more reviews. The fact that you guys don't give me any tells me that you don't care about the story or the plot line or any part of this story at all. The only reviewer of these stories, as embarrassing as it is, is my MOTHER.**

**Do any of you know how SAD this is?**

**SERIOUSLY! I WANT MORE REVIEWS!**

**Flames are fine, I just want reviews!**

**Please!**

**I'm, like, dying over here!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! PLEEEEEASE!**


	13. Bitter Work

13

Hoshiko looked up at the morning sky. Three days after the incident with Azula, three days of Katara and Aang apologizing to Toph, and three days of walking around with a splint on her leg. According to Katara, she should be able to walk perfectly fine by today, so she could take it off. She still had some pain when she moved, but it was tiny, little twinges here and there, nothing huge. It was one of these pains that had woken her up, actually. An annoying little throb in her calf that just wouldn't stop, it didn't hurt a lot, it just stung, like a paper cut or something.

When she noticed something moving out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aang had gotten up as well. He jumped up into the air happily. She wasn't surprised about his enthusiasm, after all today was the day he would first begin earth bending training.

"Today's the day!" He said happily, but quietly. He landed over by Sokka, who was a few feet away from her, "Can you believe it? After all that time searching for a teacher, I'm _finally_ starting earth bending! And this place… It's perfect! Don't you think?" He looked over at the sleepy Sokka who was still curled up in his sleeping bag. The place they had landed and made camp for the night was in the middle of a large canyon, with huge earthen walls surrounding every part of them as far as they could see. Aang looked over at his friend in the sleeping bag, "Sokka?" At the mention of his name, Sokka turned to him and groaned tiredly, "Oh, you're still sleeping huh?" Sokka groaned again and curled himself up even more into the sleeping bag. "Sorry!" Aang whispered.

Everyone awoke when they heard rumbling and looked to see Toph's earth tent get blown to bits, a happy and energetic Toph standing where it once was.

"_Good_ morning, earth bending student!" She greeted loudly. She walked over to where everyone was starting to wake up. Aang bowed to her the way a student bows to a master.

"Good morning, Sifu Toph." He greeted.

"Hey, you never call_ me_ Sifu Katara." Katara said sleepily as she rose from her sleeping bag.

"Well, if you think I should…" Aang began, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Sokka let out an incoherent noise as he jumped up, still in his sleeping bag and glared at the two benders who had woken him up.

"Sorry, Snoozles," Toph teased, "We'll try to do our earth bending as _quietly_ as we can." In the next moment, Toph banged her heel against the ground, making a piece of rock jut up under Sokka and send him flying up ten feet in the air, screaming the entire way. When he crashed back down to earth, he jumped up onto his feet, still incased in his sleeping bag and hopped over to Aang and Toph, grumbling and muttering things about noises and not being able to sleep into their faces before hopping away. Hoshiko couldn't help herself as she guffawed at the spectacle, clutching at her sides, bending over in laughter. As he hopped past her, Sokka stuck out his tongue, but she didn't care as she kept laughing.

"So what move are you going to teach me first?" Aang asked excitedly, coming over to Toph, "'Rockalanche'?" He brought down his fist as he imitated a wrestling move he had seen, "'The Trembler'?" He imitated another move, "Oh! Maybe I can learn to make a whirlpool out of land!" Toph stopped his spinning by sticking her arm out.

"Let's start with 'Move a Rock'." Toph said, before she walked away.

"Sounds good! Sounds good!" Aang agreed as he followed Toph. Hoshiko held her arms out to Katara, who was still standing there.

"Hey, a little help, please?" She asked, Katara walked over and helped pull her out of the sleeping bag and onto her feet. Hoshiko limped after Toph and Aang, "Come on, I don't wanna miss this!" Katara nodded, coming after her and helping her walk towards where the training was going to take place. Once they were there, they saw only Aang by himself.

"Where's Toph?" Katara asked, Aang shrugged.

"I think she went to get some rocks to earth bend." He said.

"A good time to eat breakfast, then." Hoshiko said, "Katara, can you set me down over there?" She pointed to an elevated rock and Katara walked her over to the spot and set her there. She left for a moment and came back with some different fruits for them to eat. Everyone munched on the food until they heard two continuous thumping noises. They looked to see Toph bending two boulders at once, one smaller than the other. She put the smaller one in front of Aang and the bigger one in front of herself. Then, she walked around it and began the lesson.

"The key to earth bending is your stance." Toph said, getting into her horse stance, "You've gotta be steady and strong." Aang mimicked her stance, "Rock is a stubborn element. If you're going to _move_ it," On 'move' she pushed him and made him lose his footing a bit, "You've gotta be like a rock yourself."

"Like a rock." Aang repeated, rubbing the spot she pushed, "Got it."

"Good." Toph said, turning to the side, "Now the actual motion of this one is pretty simple." She stepped forward and put her fist out, bending the rock so it went flying and crashed into the wall of the canyon around them. "Okay, you ready to give it a try?"

Aang got in his horse stance, "I'm ready." He narrowed his eyes determinedly at the stone and did the same as Toph did, only instead of the rock moving, he moved, flying backward and crashing into the back of a sleeping Appa.

"Rock beats air bender!" Sokka laughed from his new napping spot. Aang came back and looked over at Katara, who had come closer to the two of them.

"I don't understand what went wrong." Katara said, "He did it exactly the way you did."

"Maybe there's another way." Aang said, before walking towards the boulder in a fighting stance, "What if I came at the boulder from a different angle?"

"No." Toph said, reaching out and grabbing the back of his shirt, "That's the problem. You've got to stop thinking like an air bender." She knocked on Aang's skull, "There's no different angle, no clever solution, no trickety-trick that's gonna _move_ that rock." On 'move' she pushed Aang over again, "You've got to face it _head on_. And when I say 'head on', I mean like _this_!" She ran over to the boulder and smashed it with her skull. Aang flinched back in surprise. Then his shoulders slumped when he realized he wouldn't be able to get this right as quickly as he hoped.

As Toph walked away, Katara went after her. Although Aang couldn't hear what she was saying, Hoshiko could. "I've been training Aang for a while, now." Katara said to her, "He really responds well to a positive teaching experience. Lots of encouragement and praise. _Kind_ words. If he's doing something wrong, maybe a _gentle nudge_ in the right direction."

"Thanks, Katara." Toph said, "A gentle nudge… I'll try that." Toph kept walking off and Katara walked back to Aang, who quickly followed his earth bending teacher. Katara walked over to Hoshiko and took her off the rock.

"Come on, let me heal your leg some more." She said, Hoshiko nodded, not having much of a choice. They walked over to Appa and Katara set her down beside the bison. She unwrapped the splint and bandages and pulled out her water, the liquid glowing as it surrounded her leg. She moved over different parts of her leg and pulled away, Hoshiko feeling no pain in her leg at all. "It's completely healed. Try walking around a little." Hoshiko stood up and put a little weight on her leg, she took a few steps and felt no pain in her leg as she moved, not even the annoying twinge was there. She smiled.

"No pain." She said happily, "I think I'm good." Katara smiled and stood up.

"Good." She said, "But, just be careful. It just came out of the bandages, but it can still get hurt."

"I know." Hoshiko said, "I'll be careful." She walked away from the water bender, and passed by Sokka with a disgruntled look on his face. Hoshiko quirked an eyebrow at his grumpy demeanor, "What's your problem?"

"Toph took my hunting club." Sokka grumbled, pouting like a small child. Hoshiko rolled her eyes.

"Oh, _no_!" She cooed sarcastically, "Now you'll have to use your boomerang, or your _machete_ to hunt." Sokka instantly brightened up at that.

"Oh yeah." He said, he walked over to his bag and rummaged through it, picking up his machete, "Well, I'm gonna go get something to eat. See you later."

"Whatever." Hoshiko dismissed, waving goodbye as he went in the opposite direction she was going. She went to a nearby river and washed her face in its cool waters. When she finished she looked at her reflection and for a moment, thought she saw Kagemi trying to sneak up on her, for everything she saw in the reflection was an inky black. She jumped back in shock and looked behind her. She didn't see anyone and let out a sigh of relief. When she looked back at her reflection in the water, she saw herself again, and touched her own cheek to see her reflection do the same. She sighed again and leaned back on her arms.

Recently, she'd been having more conversations with Kagemi in her dreams. Every time she would tempt her to let her take over, but Hoshiko knew that if that were to happen, innocent lives would be taken. She knew Kagemi well, as much as she hated to admit it. She knew she would take out anyone just because they were Fire Nation, or because they made her angry. She pulled her knees up and rested her arms on them and rested her head against her arms. She was so tired of it. She was tired of having to meet with Kagemi every night. She was tired of waking in a cold sweat because she dreamt that Kagemi had killed her. She was so tired of it all. She knew the only way to end this was to either defeat her when she had taken over, something very few shadow benders ever accomplished, or to die. Now, she knew that the chances of her dying by someone else's hand were very slim, because she was a very good fighter, and had a strong will to live. But if she took her _own_ life…

She shook her head to clear her mind of such dark thoughts. _That's stupid._ She thought to herself, _I have no real reason to die. Just because I want Kagemi to leave me alone doesn't mean I should cut my own throat. Besides, _she put her hand over her heart, _I have someone waiting for me. If I were to die, what would he do?_ She smiled a little to herself, looking up at the bright, blue sky. _I wonder how much he's changed._ She laughed to herself, "He was pretty stuck up when I knew him."

* * *

Kotaro let out a sneeze as he walked with some refugees to half moon bay. One of the refugees looked over at him.

"You okay there, man?" He asked, "Don't want you getting sick on us now." Kotaro shook his head and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"I'm fine." He said with a smile, "There's just some pretty girls out there chatting about me right now~!" The man rolled his eyes with a laugh and kept walking.

* * *

Hoshiko shook her head, remembering how timid she used to be when she was a kid. "He's changed." She said to herself, "For better or for worse, he's changed." She got up and walked back to camp, feeling her memories resurface in her mind as she walked.

* * *

"_Hoshiko!" Hoshiko's mother, Hikari, called from the door of their home, "Come inside! It's almost sunset!"_

"_Yes Mama!" A six year old Hoshiko called._

_Her friend, a five year old Xana, pouted, "Aw, you gotta go home _**_now_**_?" Hoshiko nodded._

"_Don't worry, Xana." She said, "We can play tomorrow if you wanna." Xana instantly brightened up and wrapped her friend in a tight hug._

"_Okay!" She chirped happily, when she pulled away, she said, "Don't forget, though. I can only play for two more days before I hafta go back home to Si Wong."_

"_Okay." Hoshiko said, she released herself from her reptilian friend's hold, "Bye-bye!" She dashed back to the house._

"_Bye!" Xana called, running over to where her visiting family was staying. Hoshiko ran inside the front door and looked up at her mother happily as she shut the door behind her. She went up to the dinner table, where her father was already sitting, and jumped in his lap. He was a big man, with shaggy dark hair and two black cat ears coming off the top of his head, his tail was short and stubby when compared to his wife's, whose was long and skinny. Her father, Akira, gave a start but laughed when he saw it was her and took her in his arms and squeezed her. Hikari looked upon the scene with a smile. Hikari was a tall, lovely young woman with long black hair. Her eyes were the same shade of blue as her daughter's, while her husband's were a stunning green. Her ears seemed elongated and thinner when compared to others, but she didn't mind._

"_Daddy!" Hoshiko giggled, "That's too tight!" She squirmed around in his arms while he held her to his chest. He laughed and let her go, but she burrowed into his lap._

"_Oh? I thought you wanted to get out." Her father teased playfully, Hoshiko shook her head._

"_No, I just don' wanna be squisheded." She said with a smile._

"_It's 'squished' honey." Hikari corrected as she walked over to the table, holding out two bowls of soup. "Not 'squisheded.'" Hoshiko nodded and squirmed out of her father's lap and into her seat in between them._

"_Yes, Mama." Hoshiko replied, smiling at her. Hikari put bowls down in front of them and in front of herself and they began to eat._

"_Oh by the way," Hikari began, "Did you hear about that new Polaris family that's coming here?"_

"_Yes, I did." Akira said, "From up north, right?" Hikari nodded, "I heard they have a little boy, too."_

"_It's exciting!" Hikari exclaimed, "I want to go and visit them tomorrow."_

"_But they just moved in today!" Akira said with a laugh, "They'll be exhausted!"_

"_In this weather?" Hikari said, "Please, warm weather to Polaris types makes them so jumpy. They'll be more than willing to spare a few words. And besides," She looked down at Hoshiko who was taking a spoonful of the soup in her mouth, "I think Hoshiko would be a nice friend for their little boy." Hoshiko choked on the spoonful she had taken in. Her father patted her back to help her get it down._

"_But, Mama, I don't wanna go!" Hoshiko whined, "I don't like boys! They're always so mean to me!"_

"_Now, now, this boy is different, dear." Hikari comforted, "I'm sure he'll like you." Hoshiko didn't feel very comforted by her mother's words_

…

"_Good morning neighbors!" Hikari greeted happily the next day. Akira stood beside her, and holding onto her father's hand was Hoshiko, looking up at the Polaris wolf Shinjun woman who had answered the door. She had long white hair in a ponytail that reached down to her waist. She had an elegant wolf tail hanging out her back and a pair of sparkling ice-eyes. A pair of white wolf ears stood on her head._

"_Good morning." She greeted back, "It's nice to meet so many of our new neighbors in such a short amount of time." She laughed a little behind her hand, "I can't tell you how many visits my son and I have received in the past hour alone." Hikari laughed, speaking the same language that only work-at-home mothers seemed to understand. The woman's gaze moved to Hoshiko and she smiled, leaning down on her knees to be eye-level with her, "And what's your name, sweetie?" Hoshiko blushed from the attention and hid behind her father, still holding his hand._

_Hikari laughed, "That's our daughter, Hoshiko. She's a bit shy." The woman laughed with her. Akira nudged his daughter forward._

"_Honey, come up and say hello to Mrs. Rakurai." Hoshiko inched forward and looked down shyly, not meeting her eyes._

"_Hello Missus Rakurai…" She mumbled. The woman giggled and looked back at her mother._

"_Oh, she's adorable!" She cooed, "I only wish my little boy could be so cute."_

"_Where is he, by the by?" Hikari asked, leaning her head to look around the Rakurai house without going inside._

"_In his room, probably." She replied, "He was never very happy with change. He locks himself up every time we move." She turned her head and called, "Kota, dear! Come and meet our neighbors!" A door slammed shut and a little boy came into view. He had a little mop of white hair hanging over his silvery grey eyes, a pair of large wolf ears on his head, and a little tail peeking its way out of his clothes. He blew some of his hair out of his eye and looked at Hoshiko. She shied away from him, hiding behind her father again, grasping at his pant leg. She peeked out at the boy from behind Akira, and shrunk away when he stuck out his tongue at her. He gave a yelp when his mother lightly slapped his backside and glared up at her. _

"_Be nice." She chided. He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, turning away from her stubbornly. "This is my son, Kotaro. He's the only one living with me at the moment. The rest of his brothers are off with his father, traveling around the world. Kota here's my youngest."_

"_Oh, well it's very nice to meet you Kotaro." Hikari cooed, kneeling down to his eye-level, "How old are you?"_

"_Six an' three quarters." Kotaro answered proudly._

"_My! Aren't you a big boy?" She cooed again, "Say, Kotaro, do you want to play with Hoshiko while we talk to your Mom?"_

"_No." Kotaro answered stiffly, he got another light slap from his mother._

"_Yes." She answered for him, "He'd love to."_

"_But _**_Mom_**_…__!" Kotaro whined, "She's a _**_girl_**_!" She gave him a harsh stare that he folded under, "Fine…"_

"_Mama, no!" Hoshiko hissed to her mother, "He looks mean!" Hikari shushed her._

"_Now, Hoshi, you and Kotaro play outside while we have a nice chat with Mrs. Rakurai." Hikari said, "You'll have fun, I'm sure." The two parents walked inside, leaving the both of them outside to play. Hoshiko looked uneasily at the wolf Shinjun and he glared at her. He stuck out his tongue again and walked away from her._

"_Hey…!" Hoshiko ran after him, "Don't leave without me!" Kotaro saw her coming after him and he began to run, "Hey!" Hoshiko ran faster to catch up with him, but Kotaro was faster still. Hoshiko saw he was headed for the forest outside where their tribe had been placed and she skidded to a stop. "Wait! I'm not a'sposed to go in there!" Kotaro acted as if he didn't hear her and kept running. Hoshiko looked around nervously to see if anyone saw her breaking the rules and she ran in after him, "Please wait, Kotaro!" Kotaro ran through bushes, past trees, and around brambles to avoid the tag-a-long he'd been stuck with, but she kept up with him, no matter how fast he went._

_So he decided to try a different tactic, he jumped up and into a tree and began jumping from branch to branch. Hoshiko tried to keep up with him, but she had always been too afraid to climb trees on her own. She kept trying to keep up with him, but he was just too fast in the trees. Finally, after she had run much more than she was used to, she stopped and tried to slow down. She tripped over a tree branch and scraped her knee. When she got up, she saw Kotaro was still way ahead of her, and some pain was coming from the scrape. Being only six years old, this was too much for her to handle, so she plopped down on her bottom and began to cry._

_The sound of her sobs reached Kotaro's ears from far away, and he looked to see her sitting there, crying. Feeling guilty for leaving her behind, he jumped down from the tree and ran over to her. She kept crying as he got closer._

"_W-What's the matter?" He asked her, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to run away." He got down and tried to wipe the tears from her cheeks with his fingers, but she pushed them away. "Hey! I'm just trying to help!" Hoshiko calmed herself a little and looked up at Kotaro, sniffling as tears kept coming out. "Why're you cryin'?"_

"_My knee." She whimpered. Kotaro looked down at it, "I hurt it. And I'm in the middle of the forest, an' my mommy's not here, an' my daddy's not here, an' you tried to run away, an' now we're lost an'… an'… an'… _**_I want my Mama!_**_!" She got more hysterical as she spoke, beginning to sob again. Kotaro tried the only way he could to get her to stop crying._

"_D-Don't… It's okay." He held his hand to her and she looked at it, sniffling, "W-We're not lost. We just gotta go back the way we came, an' we'll be home. I'll take you back to your mommy, okay?" Hoshiko nodded and took his hand and he helped her up. She held his hand and kept crying as he led them through the forest. Eventually, her cries died down to little sniffles. When the sky began to darken, though, they both became scared._

_Sunset was approaching, and they were both worried about what kind of creatures might be lurking in the woods._

"_D-Do you think there are platypus bears here?" Kotaro asked fearfully, looking up at the trees._

"_I don't know." Hoshiko said, "But Xana's sister told me her cousin's best friend's brother went in here and got bit by a wolf bat." They both shuddered, "I don't like wolf bats. They're scary…"_

"_Yeah…" Kotaro said, "I don't like them either. They bite really hard, my brother told me so." Hoshiko grasped his hand more tightly with hers, and he didn't pull away, instead he held onto her tightly, both out of the fear he felt, and because he wanted to look after her. They kept walking through the trees, neither one of them stopping for rest out of fear of the forest and what it may harbor. Finally, they heard voices calling out, and saw lights in the distance. They recognized the voices right away and ran towards them._

"_Kotaro!" His mother cried when he ran into her arms, "Oh, thank heavens! I was so worried!"_

"_Hoshiko!" Hikari cried, taking her child into her arms, "Are you alright, sweetie? You're not hurt, are you?"_

"_I have a boo-boo." She said, pointing to the scrape on her knee. Immediately, her mother kissed it._

"_Better?" Hoshiko nodded and hugged her mother around her neck, "Oh, Hoshiko, we were so afraid we'd lost you!"_

_Akira pulled Hoshiko's face away from her mother and kissed her cheeks and forehead, "Don't run off like that again! You had us scared to death!" He pulled her halfway out of Hikari's arms and they both held her close. Hoshiko looked over at Kotaro to see his mother had him in the same grip both her parents had. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. Neither of them hated each other now._

* * *

Hoshiko smiled a little to herself, the first day she had ever met him. It was one of the fondest memories she had. She passed by Toph and Aang as they were training, and saw Katara was there, too.

"This time we're going to try something a little different." Toph said to Aang, "Instead of _moving_ a rock, you're going to _stop_ a rock." She whirled to him, "Get in your horse stance!" Aang obeyed and got in the proper position. Hoshiko walked up next to Katara to see how this part of the training worked. "I'm going to roll that boulder down at you." She pointed up a nearby cliff to where a boulder waited at the top of a trail made by earth bending that led straight to where Aang stood. The three of them gaped at the boulder, this sort of thing to be done this early in training was practically suicide! "If you have the attitude of an earth bender, you'll stay in your stance and stop the rock." She stood beside him and demonstrated the movement he needed to do, "Like this."

"Sorry, Toph," Katara said suddenly, "But are you _sure_ this is really the best way to teach Aang earth bending?"

"I'm glad you said something." Toph said, "Actually, there is a better way." She reached down and grabbed Aang's sash from his waist and tied it around his head to use it as a blindfold, "_This_ way, you'll really have to sense the vibrations of the boulder to stop it." Hoshiko could not believe her eyes, the first idea of rolling a boulder at you was just dumb, _now_ it was suicide. Toph gave Katara a thumbs-up, "Thank you, Katara."

"Yeah, thanks Katara!" Aang said harshly. Katara smiled sheepishly and stepped back. Toph jumped up onto the top of the cliff using earth bending and went behind the boulder. She pushed it over and it began to roll down the trail she made heading straight for Aang. Aang trembled in his stance. Katara covered her eyes, not wanting to see what happened, but peeked her eye through her fingers. Toph stood at the top of the cliff, waiting to see Aang move the boulder. Hoshiko couldn't pull her eyes away from it, no matter how badly she wanted to. When the boulder came within five feet of Aang, he jumped up using air bending and out of the boulder's way. The boulder kept rolling and ended up crashing into a wall of stone twenty feet behind him.

Toph jumped down from the cliff and ran over at Aang, she got up in his face as he took of the blindfold, glaring at him.

"I guess I just panicked," Aang explained to her, "I don't know what to say."

"There's nothing _to_ say!" Toph retorted, "You blew it! You had a perfect _stance_ and perfect _form_. But when it came right down to it, you didn't have the _guts_!" She punched his shoulder and he fell to the ground in a sitting position.

"I know," He said quietly, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, you _are_ sorry!" Toph said, getting in his face again, "If you're not tough enough to stop the rock, then you could _at least_ give it the pleasure of smooshing you instead of jumping out of the way like a _jelly-boned wimp_!" Hoshiko flinched, that was harsh, even for her. "Now, do you have what it takes to face that rock like an earth bender?" Aang looked down at the ground.

"No," He said sadly, "I don't think I do." Toph moved away from him and stood up straight, crossing her arms over her chest, obviously displeased with his response. Katara walked over to Aang and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Aang, it's no big deal." She said, trying to comfort him, "You'll take a break and try earth bending again when you're ready. Besides, you still have a lot of water bending to work on! Okay?" Aang looked up at her.

"Yeah, that sounds good." He got up and followed Katara as they went towards the nearby river Hoshiko had just come from.

"Yeah, whatever. Go splash around until you feel better." Toph said, dismissing the two with a wave. Hoshiko looked after the two as they left, then ran after Toph.

"Don't you think that was a bit harsh?" Hoshiko asked her.

"Ah, he's been babied through training, he needs some tough love." Toph said dismissively.

"But Aang isn't used to that!" Hoshiko said, "Look, I've only known Aang for about a month or so, and that's not a very long time to get to know someone. But I do know this: Aang is _just_ a kid. Granted a very _powerful_ kid, but still, he's not used to tough love. He's not used to strict training either."

"Look, he took me with him so I could teach him earth bending." Toph said, "Rock is a stubborn element, he's gotta toughen up or he'll never master it."

"Okay, okay, I get where you're coming from." Hoshiko said, "But you really should take Katara's advice and lighten up on him. You train like a drill sergeant, and I have nothing against that, but Aang's _not_ a soldier. He's a kid."

"So am I!" Toph argued.

"I know, I'm just_ saying_!" Hoshiko almost shouted, she took a breath and calmed herself, "All I'm saying is, Aang just needs some time to get this down, and you need to be patient, okay?"

"You sound like a mom." Toph said, Hoshiko scowled.

"I'm going to take that as a 'yes'." She said, she walked away from the earth bender, "Bye." She walked over to the bison and petted his big head. He grunted once, seeming to start a conversation in his animalistic tongue. "I only wish humans were as easy to deal with as animals." She scratched his nose a little before walking up next to him and curling up in the crook of his front leg. She leaned back and looked up at the sky, looking up at the clouds as they glided over her head in a way so utterly relaxing. She felt her eyelids become heavy, and she suddenly felt an unexplainable drowsiness. She allowed herself to be immersed in it, falling to sleep.

* * *

_Hoshiko, Xana, and Kotaro laid on their backs in the tall grass of a field, looking up at the clouds as they passed over their heads._

"_You know, you don't see clouds like this in Si Wong." The eleven year old Xana said idly._

"_We _**_know_**_." The twelve year old Kotaro groaned, "You see a lot of things here that you don't see in Si Wong. You've told us that a million times." Xana put her weight on her elbows and glared at him._

"_Well, excuse me for taking in the foreign culture!" She snapped, slapping his forehead with her clawed hand._

"_Ow!" Kotaro jumped and glared at the reptilian blonde, "You'll pay for that, you little lizard!" He growled before tackling her. Hoshiko jumped up and watched as the two of them rolled down the hill. She ran after them and found the both of them struggling with each other in the dirt._

"_Guys! Enough!" The twelve year old Hoshiko said, grabbing on the backs of the collars of both their clothes and yanking them apart, "Come on! Xana, does every day I hang out with Kota have to turn into a fight?" She pouted grumpily at Hoshiko._

"_It's not my fault you became the _hanbun tamashi_ of a total jerk!" She retorted. Hoshiko and Kotaro rolled their eyes, "You even call him Kota now!"_

"_So what?" Hoshiko asked, "Look, I just like hanging out with him, and if you two would get along, that would make your visits here a lot better, Xana!" The two in question shared a glance with one another for one second, then turned away, crossing their arms over their chests. Hoshiko let out an exhausted sigh, "Come _**_on_**_, you guys…"_

"_It would be a lot easier to get along with her if she wasn't so annoying!" Kotaro said, sending a pointed glare at Xana._

"_I'm just trying to cheer you up!" She retorted, "Ever since you heard about your brothers dying in the war, you've been so freaking __**depressing**__!"_

"_I am not!" Kotaro snapped, he turned to Hoshiko, "Hoshi, do I depress you?" _

"_You call her Hoshi now?" Xana demanded furiously, "That's _**_my_**_ nickname for her!"_

"_You don't depress me." Hoshiko said, ignoring Xana's comment, "But you _**_have_**_ been acting pretty depressed, lately. I was getting kind of worried, to tell the truth…" Kotaro groaned and turned away._

"_You know, you gotta learn to trust me if we're gonna be married someday." He said, Hoshiko blushed furiously._

"_D-Don't say stuff like that so bluntly!" She almost squealed it out, her voice getting higher with her rising embarrassment, "Besides, we're not even old enough to get married yet…"_

"_We will be!" Kotaro declared, "And when we are, you're gonna be my wife. We already bound ourselves together for all eternity, it's not like we have a whole lot of choices." Xana pointed to her mouth and made a gagging sound._

"_Man, you two are mushy." Xana said, "But if you're gonna get married, I just got one condition."_

"_What's that?" Hoshiko asked._

"_You gotta make me your maid of honor at your wedding!" Xana squealed, grabbing Hoshiko's hands in hers. Hoshiko smiled._

"_Okay, but you have to promise not to pick fights with each other until then." She said, Xana held out a clawed hand for a handshake._

"_Deal!"_

* * *

Hoshiko was awoken by the sound of rustling and looked to see Toph going through Aang's things, his staff resting on her shoulder. Hoshiko lifted herself up to get a better look at the earth bender.

"Toph, what are you doing?" She asked.

"Messing with Aang." She replied calmly, "Doesn't he have some nuts in here?" Hoshiko looked over at Aang's bag.

"Yeah…" She responded unsurely, "What are you planning to do?"

"Just show him what he needs to do to be an earth bender." She said, "It's just a gentle nudge. Don't worry about it." She grinned when she pulled a small sack out of the bag, a picture of Aang's face painted on it in ink. She got up and walked away, Hoshiko got up after her, wondering what exactly this method was.

She followed her to where they saw Aang was meditating. She plopped down a few feet away from him, Hoshiko stood off to the side, watching.

"Aang, I found these nuts in your bag." Toph said, holding them up, "I figured you wouldn't mind, and besides, even if you did, you're too much of a _pushover_ to do anything about it." Aang looked over at her with a glare.

"As a matter of fact, I don't mind." He said, "I'm happy to share anything I have."

"You know, I'm really glad you feel that way," Toph said, picking up and twirling Aang's staff, "Because I _also_ have this great new nutcracker." Aang looked over and grimaced when he saw his staff in her hands. Toph lifted it up high and brought down the end of it on a nut, making the shell crack open with a _CRACK!_

"Actually, I'd prefer if you didn't-"

_CRUNCH!_

"That's an antique, hand-crafted by the monks-"

_CRACK!_

"It's a delicate instrument!" Toph picked up the nuts and began to eat them.

"It's not the _only_ delicate instrument around here." She said, she stood up and walked away, banging the staff against the stone walls of the canyon and boulders near her as she did. Hoshiko watched her leave, but didn't bother to go after her. She didn't think it was her place to scold her for something like this, especially since it had to do with training for an element she could never master. She looked back at Aang to see him glaring stiffly at Toph but returned to his meditating position, trying to get back to what he was doing.

"Hey, guys!" Katara called to the two of them as she got closer, "Have you seen-"

"Meditating here!" Aang interrupted irritably.

"It's important." Katara said, "It's almost sundown and Sokka's not back yet." Hoshiko looked around her, she hadn't seen Sokka since he went hunting for something to eat, but she hadn't noticed his absence until now, "I think we should look for him."

Aang looked over at her worriedly, then jumped up, "We'll find him faster if we split up." He said, "Hoshiko, you go and tell Toph what we're doing then head north. Katara you go east and I'll head west. Toph will go south." Hoshiko nodded and the three of them split up. She went back to camp and found Toph sitting there, still eating Aang's nuts.

"Hey." She greeted, "What's up?"

"Toph, Sokka's gone missing." Hoshiko said, "Everyone's split up to go look for him. I'm going to head north, so you should probably go-"

"Why bother looking? He's just over that hill." Toph said, thumbing over the rock wall behind her. Hoshiko looked up at the wall, then down at Toph.

"You knew he was there the whole time?" She said, "Why didn't you say anything?" Toph shrugged.

"I didn't really think it was important." She said, "The idiot went and got himself stuck in the ground, and nobody seemed to be doing anything about it, so…"

"Toph, we can't see with vibrations like you can, you have to realize that next time." Hoshiko said, "Come on, let's go get him." Toph shrugged and got up after her, still carrying the nuts and staff. They went around the wall, and when they reached the other side, they felt a sudden gust of wind that nearly blew them back. When it had passed, they looked to see Aang had attempted to air bend Sokka out of a crevice in the ground.

"Oh, good, Aang's already here." Hoshiko said, she went up to go and help him, but Toph grabbed the back of her shirt to stop her.

"Wait." She said, Hoshiko looked back at her in confusion only to see Toph put her finger over her mouth and give her a quiet "Shhhh…" She motioned for Hoshiko to follow her and she did so, still confused as to why. As they got closer, they heard some of Aang and Sokka's conversation.

"…Well, if you can't earth bend me outta here, go get Toph." Sokka said.

"I can't do that, either." Aang said.

"You can't? Why not?" Sokka asked.

"It would just be really… uncomfortable." Aang said.

"_Uncomfortable_! Well, I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable." Sokka said sarcastically.

"Thanks, Sokka." Aang said, obviously not catching the hint. He sat down next to the crevice, both of them unaware of Toph and Hoshiko watching them from seven feet away, "This whole earth bending thing really has me confused. There's so much pressure. Everyone expects me to get it right away! It puts me in a really awkward position."

"Awkward position… I think I know the feeling." Sokka said, using that same tone of sarcasm as before.

"If I _try_, I fail!" Aang continued, still not getting the hint, "But if I _don't_ try, I'm never gonna get it. I feel like I'm caught between a rock and a hard place."

"Hmm. How 'bout that?" Sokka said, Hoshiko looked up in surprise when she saw an adorable little creature walk up beside Sokka, "Aang this is my friend Foo-foo-cuddly-poops. Foo-foo-cuddly-poops, Aang." Aang looked down at the creature and smiled.

"Aw!" he picked it up, "What a cute name for a little baby saber tooth moose lion cub!" Hoshiko almost choked on her own spit,_ what did he just say? _

"Really? He looks nothing like a saber tooth moose lion." Sokka said, looking up at the creature in Aang's arms.

"It's hard to tell before their giant teeth and horns grow in." Aang explained, he looked into the marble eyes of the cub, "Whatcha doing out here, little guy? Did you lose your momma?" At that moment, a growl was heard. Everyone looked to see a fully grown saber tooth moose lion had come, and was looking at the little cub in Aang's grasp. Aang gulped nervously. Hoshiko went to help, but Toph held her back.

"Hey there…" Aang greeted the moose lion nervously, "We… found your cub." The cub let out a little squeaky call and the moose lion roared. Aang quickly put the cub on the ground and it ran towards its mother. "See? We have no problem with you. We're friendly." The lion let out another roar and Sokka flinched.

"Aang, this is bad, you gotta get me outta here!" Sokka told him. The moose lion started charging towards them, and Sokka let out a scream. Before it got too close, Aang used air bending to lift it safely above Sokka's head. It skidded to a stop in front of them and let out a roar, "This is _really_ bad!" Sokka said, almost hysterical as he looked at Aang, "_Please_, Aang! You _have_ to earth bend me out! There's no other way!" Aang grimaced but gave it a try. He did a number of different earth bending moves, but none of it did anything. Aang looked and saw that the moose lion was preparing to charge again.

"Oh, no!" Aang whispered to himself, he jumped up onto a high stone using air bending, "Woo-oo! Look at me!" He called, trying to get the creature's attention. The moose lion ignored him and charged for Sokka. Again, Aang knocked it away from his friend using air bending.

"Please don't leave me again." Sokka asked meekly.

"I won't." Aang promised. When the moose lion charge again, Aang stood his ground, and once it was close enough, he knocked it back with air bending. Once this was done, it seemed the moose lion had had enough, and it went through the bushes and left them alone. At this point, Toph made her presence known by clapping slowly in applause. Hoshiko didn't know why she was doing it, but didn't ask about it.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sokka asked once he saw them. Hoshiko shrugged.

"Just enjoying the show." Toph said.

"What?" Aang gasped, "You were there the whole time?"

"Pretty much." Toph replied nonchalantly.

"Why didn't you do something?" Aang demanded, "Sokka was in trouble! _I_ was in trouble! You could've gotten him out and helped us get away!" Toph shrugged, not seeming to care.

"Guess it just didn't occur to me." She said. She took one of the nuts from Aang's bag and tossed it on the ground, she reached behind her and pulled out Aang's staff, ready to crack open the nut with it. Before it ever touched the ground, Aang seemed to have had it with Toph and stopped it before it hit the ground.

"Enough!" He said in a commanding voice, "I want my staff back!" Toph grinned at the sudden order and released the staff, jumping onto the ground in front of Aang.

"Do it now!" She told him.

"What?" Aang demanded.

"Earth bend, Twinkle Toes." Toph said, as if it were obvious, "You just stood your ground against a crazy beast. And even _more_ impressive, you stood your ground against _me_. You've got stuff."

"But-"

"Do it!" Toph commanded, Aang stared at her for a second before turning to a small boulder and using the earth bending move she had shown him before. The rock flew back and shattered against the side of the canyon. Aang's face broke out into a huge smile, "You did it! You're an earth bender!"

"I can't believe it!" Aang exclaimed, he jumped up in the air happily, "I'm an earth bender! I'm an earth bender!" He landed beside Hoshiko and hugged her tightly, "I'm an earth bender!" Hoshiko laughed and pulled out of his grasp.

"I know, I know, I saw." She laughed.

"Aww, this is really a wonderful, touching moment." Sokka said from his place in the ground, "So, could you get me outta here so I can give you all a big, snuggly hug?" Hoshiko wrinkled her nose at the suggestion in disgust, hoping he wasn't serious.

"No problem, Sokka!" Aang said, walking over to him.

"Actually, you better let me do that." Toph stopped him, "You're _still_ a little new to this. You might accidentally crush him."

"Yeah, no crushing, please." Sokka asked. Toph walked up in front of him and stomped her foot on the ground, making him pop up, then she grabbed his hair (Which had been undone from his ponytail) and pulled him out. Sokka landed on the ground with an "Oof!" When he tried to stand, he was a little wobbly, so Hoshiko let him lean on her shoulder, putting his arm around her other shoulder. She followed Aang and Toph as they went back to the campsite. Hoshiko looked over at him and couldn't resist a grin at how unkempt he looked. When he looked at her, she looked away, but she still had a grin on her face.

"You know, Hoshiko," Sokka began, "I had a lot of time to think while I was in there."

"Yeah? So?" Hoshiko asked.

"I thought a little bit about my friends and stuff." He said, "And… I know I probably don't say this enough, but…"

"Oh, no." Hoshiko muttered, _**Please**__ don't turn into one of those sappy apologies. Please, please, please, __**please**__!_

"You're a good friend." Sokka said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders in a hug. Hoshiko froze and pushed him off towards Aang with a scowl.

"Don't do that again." She ordered. Aang shouldered his friend without a word as they kept walking back to camp. Hoshiko looked away from him, put she knew he was just frowning sadly at her. She sighed and looked at him to see he was right, he looked a little like a wounded puppy. She let out another sigh and looked away again, "You're a good friend, too, Sokka." She said, a small blush blooming across her cheeks. Sokka smiled and looked at the path in front of him as they neared the campsite. Katara was already there, and smiled when she saw the three of them coming back with her brother.

She ran over to them, "You found him!" She said happily, taking her brother into a tight hug.

"The whole time I was in that hole," Sokka began, looking at his sister, "Not knowing if I would live, or die… It makes a man think about what's _really_ important. I realized-"

"Hey, Katara! Look what I can do!" Aang said, catching her attention as he bent a rock in half. Sokka looked over at him and Hoshiko giggled at the anticlimactic interruption to his little speech.

"You did it! I knew you would!" Katara called to him, she turned to Toph and whispered, "You tried the positive re-enforcement, didn't you?"

"Yup." Toph whispered back, "It worked wonders." Everyone heard a loud grunt and looked over at the giant bison that had come closer to them.

"Appa! Appa!" Aang ran over to him, "I can earth bend now! The key is being completely rooted. Physically and mentally _unmovable_!" As if giving the young air bender congratulations, Appa licked him. Aang didn't expect it, so he fell over from the sudden show of affection. Everyone laughed at the spectacle, and so did Aang.

* * *

**My 13th chapter! Yayness!**

**I really would like more reviews for these chapters. I only got the one last time, and I GREATLY appreciate it (Thank you Dontgotanaccount), but I really, really, really, really, REALLY want some more.**

**Pretty pretty please?**


	14. The Library

14

_Dear Xana,_

_I'm so glad that you made it to the Shinjun encampment! _

_Please, do me a favor, and tell me if you see any of my family. At the _

_moment, the five of us are taking a little break from all of Aang's _

_training. Toph's been drilling him like crazy, and the rest of his time _

_is spent water bending! Eventually, I told him he needed to take a _

_break, and I suggested he take a mini-vacation. Like we did when we _

_traveled together and went to that festival in Hong Chao. _

_Actually, we're not too far from Si Wong right now. Maybe _

_I'll run into one of your cousins while I'm there. Although, I really _

_hope not. Most of your family is a little… insane. _

_I really miss you, though. I've been feeling a bit nostalgic _

_lately, which is a bit strange, but I'm sure it's nothing._

_When all of this is over, I'll be sure to come and visit you in _

_the Ba-Sing-Se encampment._

_Stay well and happy,_

_Hoshiko_

Hoshiko smiled when she finished her letter. She looked over at Tao-Win as she preened her feathers. She gently petted the bird's head and the hawk seemed content at the feeling. They were currently flying through the air to where Aang was going to have his first mini-vacation somewhere out in the prairie a few miles away from the Si Wong desert. The hawk, who had arrived the night before, ruffled her feathers in a show of restlessness. Hoshiko smiled and added something to the letter.

_PS - Tao-Win seems to be a lot more rested than usual, and it's starting to effect her in one way or another. Try getting her some exercise when you have some down time, and when she's up for it, of course._

Hoshiko, satisfied with the letter, rolled it up into a scroll and put it in the cartridge on the hawk's back. Tao-Win, knowing this meant she could finally go back to her master, leapt off the bison and took flight, heading east to where Xana awaited her reply. Not a few moments later, Aang landed the bison to a small field full of holes that littered the ground for about a mile. Everyone climbed off the bison, and Aang sat in front of the holes, a little flute in his hands.

"What's out here?" Sokka asked, looking at all the holes.

"A _lot_, actually." Toph said, kneeling down and putting her hand to the earth, "There's hundreds of little-"

"Shhh!" Aang hissed quickly, turning to her, "I know you can see underground, but don't ruin the surprise." He smiled and turned back to the holes, "Just watch." He blew a single note on the flute, and a prairie dog popped out of the hole nearest him, making a squealing noise of the same note. Aang laughed as he retreated back into his hole, "Yeah!" He blew another note, and another prairie dog came up, singing the same note, "I'm putting an orchestra together!"

"Orchestra, huh?" Sokka said, "Well, La-Di-Da." Hoshiko laughed as three prairie dogs came up from the ground, making the same notes for Sokka's 'La-Di-Da'. Momo, apparently finding this an opportune moment, dived into the hole after one of the prairie dogs. He popped out of the hole next to it, a blank look on his lemur face. Aang began to play more notes, and a prairie dog for each note popped up. Momo tried to catch them as they popped up, dashing around as fast as he could to catch one. After a minute or so, Sokka had apparently had enough and walked over to Aang, sticking his finger into the flute and stopping the next note from being made.

"This is great and all, but don't we have more important things to worry about?" He asked, "We should be making plans."

"We _did_ make plans." Hoshiko said, "We're all picking our own mini-vacations."

"There's _no_ time for vacations." Sokka said stiffly.

"I'm learning the elements as fast as I can." Aang said, "I practice hard every day with Toph and Katara. I've been training my arrow off!"

"Yeah, what's wrong with having a little fun in our down time?" Katara asked, stepping forward.

"Even if you do master all of the elements, then what?" Sokka asked, "It's not like we have a map of the Fire Nation! Should we just head west until we reach the Fire Lord's house? Knock knock! 'Hello? Fire Lord? Anybody home?' I don't think so! We need some intelligence if we're gonna win this war!" Aang quickly tooted out another note, and a prairie dog popped up between Sokka's feet, making the same quick note. Momo dove after the prairie dog, but it disappeared before he caught it. Aang looked over at the happy lemur with a smile as he lifted himself up with air bending.

"Alright, we'll finish our vacations, and then we'll look for Sokka's 'intelligence'." Katara said, Aang and Hoshiko snickered at her choice of words, Sokka scowled as a response. Aang reached into a pocket and pulled out a map and showed it to his water bending teacher.

"Your turn, Katara!" Aang said happily, "Where would you like to go on your mini-vacation?" Katara looked at the map and glanced around at the different places marked on the map.

"How about…" She pointed to a place, "The 'Misty Palms Oasis'? That sounds refreshing."

"Oh, yeah, I've been there!" Aang said, looking at the spot on the map, "It's a pristine natural ice spring, and I usually don't use the word _pristine_." Katara smiled at the enthusiasm in his voice, "It's one of nature's wonders."

* * *

It was _not_ one of nature's wonders. Maybe it was a hundred years ago, but not so much now. The place looked seedy, a little tavern and an even tinier market was built around an iceberg in the sandy ground that was no more than three feet high, and five feet in length. Everything looked run down and broken, and the people that hung around looked like they would sooner stab you and take your belongings than give you directions out of there. Everyone grimaced at the scene before them.

"Must've changed ownership since I was here…" Aang said with a nervous laugh as they walked into the oasis. Everyone jumped when the sign that had been displayed over the gate fell to the ground where they had stood only moments before. Leaving it, they walked toward the ice spring, and stared at the steaming little thing. A scrawny dog was licking the ice in an attempt to get a drink to cool himself off in the scorching heat of the Si Wong desert. Hoshiko tensed as they walked toward the tavern, seeing a group of sand-bending reptilians hanging around the entrance. As they walked past them, one of them spat at Sokka's feet before he set foot near the tavern. He glared at the reptilian, who smirked in a challenging sort of way in response. Before Sokka could make any stupid moves, Hoshiko grabbed his arm and pulled him into the tavern.

The tavern held only a few people, a few of whom were sleeping, the rest were idly chatting. One man was at the counter, where the bartender, who carried two swords on his back, was taking his order. The man requested one mango, and the man pulled out the swords, and with an impressive display of the two blades flying back and forth as they chopped up different fruits and put them in an ice bowl, and he filled that with water. Sokka grinned at the sight.

"I don't see anything wrong with having one of those fruity beverages while we plan our strategy." He said with a sly smile, before pushing through the group and going up to the counter. "Excuse me!" The man who had been before him, walked around and bumped into Aang, spilling his beverage all over his clothes. Aang looked up at the man and smiled.

"No worries, I clean up easy." He said to him, then he used his air bending to dry himself off. The man gasped at the sight of it, then his face broke out into a huge, excited grin.

"You're a living relic!" He said, Aang smiled back.

"Thanks, I try." He said, Hoshiko walked over to him.

"I think what he means, Aang," She began, "Is that you're very, very _old_." The smile fell from Aang's face.

"Oh." Was all he could respond with, seeing as he wasn't sure how to reply to that.

"An Air Nomad… Right in front of me." The man muttered to himself before bringing his hands together and bowing respectively, "Professor Xei, head of anthropology at Ba-Sing-Se University." Aang bowed back with a smile, then the professor grabbed Aang's arm and started examining his tattoos, "Tell me, which of the Air Temples do you hail from?"

"The southern temple." Aang said.

"Oh, splendid!" The professor said with a smile, pulling out a strange device that seemed to measure the diameter of Aang's bald cranium, "Now, tell me, what was the primary agricultural product of your people?"

"Uh… Are fruit pies an agricultural product?" Aang asked, looking at the professor unsurely.

"Oh, _truly_ fascinating." Professor Xei said, "_That_ is one for the journal." He reached into his bag and pulled out a bunch of papers bound together by string and began writing in it.

"So, Professor," Sokka began, "You're obviously a well traveled guy. Do you have a more current map? Ours seems to be a little dated." He sent a pointed stare at Aang when he said this. The professor looked up from his journal, still smiling.

"Certainly." He said, he gave them a map and Sokka laid it out on a nearby table. He went over it and saw it was only a map of the desert, covered in different trails starting from the same point.

"What, no Fire Nation?" Sokka asked unhappily, "Doesn't _anybody_ have a good map of that place?" Katara put her finger to one of the trails on the map.

"You've made a lot of trips into the desert." She said.

"All in vain, I'm afraid." He said, "I've found lost civilizations all over the Earth Kingdom, but I haven't managed to find the crown jewel: Won Shi Tong's library."

"You spent years walking through the _desert_," Toph began, "To find some guy's _library_?"

"This library is more valuable than gold, little lady." The professor said, "It is said to contain a _vast_ collection of knowledge. And knowledge… is priceless."

"Hmm… sounds like good times." Toph said sarcastically.

"Oh, it is!" Professor Xei continued, not catching the sarcasm, "According to legend, it was built by the great knowledge spirit Won Shi Tong with the help of his _foxy_ knowledge seekers."

"Oh, so this spirit has attractive assistants, huh?" Sokka asked with a sly grin. Hoshiko rolled her eyes and smacked his head, "Ow!"

"I think he means they actually _look_ like foxes, Sokka." Hoshiko said.

"You're both right." Professor Xei said, "Handsome little creatures." The professor reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll. When he laid it out before them, it was a picture of a giant ornate building with the words 'Won Shi Tong's Library' written underneath. "Won Shi Tong and his knowledge seekers collected books from all over the world and put them on display for mankind to read, so that we might better ourselves."

"If this place has books from all over the world," Sokka began, "Do you think they've got info on the Fire Nation? A map, maybe?"

"I wouldn't know." Professor Xei said, "But _if_ such a thing exists, it's in Won Shi Tong's library." Sokka seemed to mull over the thought in his mind, then grinned.

"Then it's settled." He said, then turned to his air bending friend, "Aang, I do believe it's my turn. I'd like to spend my vacation AT THE LIBRARY!" Hoshiko squished her ears to her head at his dramatic shout, then elbowed his stomach, "Ow! Why do you keep _hitting_ me, woman?"

"Because you're an idiot." Hoshiko said, "And what about _my_ mini-vacation?"

"Yeah, and mine!" Toph added, "When do we get to pick?"

"You gotta work here a little longer before you qualify for vacation time." Sokka said. Toph 'hmphed' and crossed her arms over her chest angrily. Hoshiko glared and brought up her fist to bonk him on the head, but Sokka was prepared for it and jumped out of the way. He stuck out his tongue in a victorious sort of way at her, and Hoshiko fumed. She used shadow bending to push him towards her, and she bonked his head. "Ow! _Again_ with the _hitting_!"

"Would you rather I smacked you with my claws?" Hoshiko asked, showing him her clawed fingers. Sokka shied away and went behind Aang.

"You know, what's a few _bruises_ anyway?" Sokka said nervously, "They'll heal with time, right?" Hoshiko smirked and put her hand on her hip.

"I thought so." She said.

"Of course, there's the matter of finding the library." Professor Xei said, "I've made several trips into the Si Wong desert, and almost died each time! I'm afraid that desert's impossible to cross." Sokka and Aang shared a glance and grinned.

"Professor," Sokka began, "Would you like to see our sky bison?" The professor's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"A _sky bison?_!" He repeated, "You actually _have_ one_?_!"

"He's right outside." Sokka said, pointing his thumb at the door, "Come with us." Everyone headed outside to let the professor see Appa growling and backing away from the group of sand bending reptilians from before as they moved closer to the giant bison.

"Sand benders! Shoo!" Professor Xei called out to them, "Away from the bison!" The rogues moved away from the creature, giving them all dirty looks. Hoshiko saw one of them looking right at her. She glared fiercely at him and hissed angrily at him. He jumped and backed away, joining the other sand benders as they got on their sand surfers and glided away from them. Once they were gone, they all boarded Appa, Aang and the professor sitting at the head of the great beast while everyone else sat in the saddle.

They took off into the air, heading into the desert. Sokka pulled out a spyglass so he could better look at the areas surrounding them to find the library. Professor Xei crawled up the head of the bison and leaned over so he could look into Appa's face.

"Tell me, sky bison," He began, "Are you the last of your breed?" Appa only responded with a grunt, and the professor laughed, "Delightful! I only wish I spoke his tongue." He gently rubbed big circles on Appa's head, "Oh, the stories this beast could tell…" Momo scurried over to him and began chirping and squeaking at him, "Shush, chatty monkey!"

Aang looked over the drawing of the library, "Wow," He said, "Shouldn't be too hard to find a place like this out here." He whipped the reigns of the bison and Appa went off.

* * *

About an hour later, nobody had seen any sign of the library.

"See anything yet?" Sokka asked Hoshiko.

"Only sand, sand, sand. Oh and look! More sand." She said with a sarcastic bite. Sokka glared at her from over his shoulder and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"_Haaaaugh!_ Does this place even _exist_?" Toph groaned.

"Some say it doesn't." The professor replied with a smile. Hoshiko whipped her head towards the professor and Toph's eyes went wide.

"Shouldn't you have mentioned that _before_? _Hrrmm!_!" She fell back against the saddle in frustration.

* * *

Another hour had gone by, with no luck whatsoever. Hoshiko had given up, collapsed against the floor of the saddle, staring up at the empty blue sky as they flew. She felt her eyes begin to droop from the drowsiness that was beginning to consume her from the pure boredom of flying around aimlessly.

"There it is!" Toph exclaimed, making everyone jump up and look at where she was pointing. They saw only sand dunes as they flew by. They all glared at Toph as she slumped against the saddle, "That's what it will sound like when one of you _spots_ it." She waved her hand in front of her smiling face, making a joke about her blindness. Hoshiko rolled her eyes and went back to looking at the desert, searching for the library.

"It shouldn't be this hard to spot a giant, ornate building from the air." Katara said.

"We could be going the wrong way." Hoshiko said.

"Well, what way would you suggest?" Sokka asked sarcastically, "Are you some kind of building-finding expert?" Hoshiko glared at him.

"I'm a tracking expert, not a radar." She said, "And it was _just_ a suggestion." Sokka rolled his eyes and looked back through his spyglass.

"Whatever." He said, he looked through and saw a tower in the distance, "Down there!" He pointed to it, "What's that?" Aang directed Appa to go towards the tower. When they landed, they all jumped off, needing to stretch after such a long ride on the bison. They looked up at the tower and Katara compared it to the picture of the library.

"Forget it," She sighed, "It's obviously not what we're looking for. The building in this drawing is enormous." Something a few feet away caught some of the desert sunlight, and it shone in their eyes. They looked to see what appeared to be a brown fox the size of a coyote carrying a scroll in its mouth come over the dune of sand and go towards the tower, running.

"What kind of animal is that?" Sokka asked, looking at it. The fox-like creature ran up the walls of the tower and inside it through one of the windows.

"I think that was one of the knowledge seekers." Professor Xei said, "Oh, we _must_ be close to the library!" Hoshiko and Sokka looked over Katara's shoulder at the picture of the library, then at the tower.

"No," Sokka said, "This _is_ the library. Look!" He pointed to the top of the building in the picture, then at the tower, showing they were the same. "It's completely buried." The professor seemed to be in a state of shock for two seconds, then he came back to his wits.

"THE LIBRARY IS _BURIED?_!" He shouted out, running closer to the tower, "My life's ambition is now full of sand…" He fell onto his knees depressively, then he pulled a small shovel out of his pocket and smiled, "Well! Time to start excavating." He started shoveling away at the sand in front of him.

"Well, he got over _that_ fast." Hoshiko muttered. She watched as Toph walked over to the tower and hit her palm against it.

"Actually, that won't be necessary." She said, catching everyone's attention, "The inside seems to be completely intact. And it's _huge_!"

"That fox-thingy went in through a window," Sokka said, "I say we climb up there and give it a look!"

"_I_ say you guys go ahead without me." Toph said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You have something against libraries?" Hoshiko asked.

"I've held books before," Toph began, "And, I gotta tell you, they don't exactly do it for me."

"Oh, right." Hoshiko said, "I forgot, sorry."

"S'okay." Toph said, "Let me know if they have something you can listen to."

Sokka tied a rope to his boomerang and threw it up into the window. When he was sure it was secure, he began to climb up it, Katara, Professor Xei, and Hoshiko following. Aang petted Appa's head before he left.

"Don't worry, buddy." He said, "I'm not making you go underground ever again. You can stay out here with Toph." He jumped up onto the rope and followed Sokka as they went down into the library. When there were no more walls to scale, they shimmied down into the main part of the library, seeing it form out into a dome and into walls and incredibly long bookcases filled to the brim with works of literature of all kinds.

"Oh, it's breathtaking!" Professor Xei gasped, "The spirits spared no expense in designing this place. Look at those beautiful buttresses!" Sokka and Aang snickered to themselves at the word 'buttresses'.

"Oh, _real_ mature guys." Hoshiko said with a roll of her eyes.

"What's funny?" The professor asked.

"N-Nothing." Aang answered quickly, "We just… like architecture."

"As do I." The professor said, looking around the building. The group moved down the rest of the rope and got to the floor. The professor looked up when he saw a mosaic above the buttresses and gazed.

"My word!" He gasped, "The exquisite mosaic handiwork of this tile-rendered avian symbol is-" He looked over at the kids and saw the blank/confused expressions on their faces, "Uh… Nice owl." A loud fluttering sound was heard and everyone ran behind the columns that held up the dome above the building. Hoshiko listened as she heard the sound of clawed feet walking against the stone floor, big ones by the sound of it. She peeked out behind the column and saw it was a giant, black barn owl with a white face. It looked at the rope, then it turned its head all the way around towards them.

"I know you're back there." It said, Hoshiko ducked back behind the column to hide from the great creature. She looked over at the professor and saw he had left his hiding place and was quickly walking over to the great owl.

"Hello!" He greeted joyously, "I'm Professor Xei, head of anthropology at Ba-Sing-Se University!" He bowed low and looked back up at the ten foot owl.

"You should leave the way you came." The owl said, "Unless you want to become _stuffed_ head of anthropology." He gestured over to a wall of stuffed heads of creatures from different parts of the earth. The professor grimaced and rubbed his neck at the thought. It was at this time the others decided to come out from their hiding places.

"Are you the spirit that brought this library to the physical world?" Sokka asked.

"Indeed." The owl answered, "I am Won Shi Tong, he who knows ten thousand things. And you are obviously _humans_," He said it with a hateful bite, "Which, by the way, are no longer permitted in my study."

"What about Shinjuns?" Hoshiko asked.

"They are permitted." Won Shi Tong said.

"What do you have against humans?" Aang asked.

The spirit 'humphed'. "Humans only bother learning things to get the edge on other humans." He said, "Like that fire bender who came to this place a few years ago, looking to destroy his enemy. So," He leaned down and looked at Sokka's face, "Who are _you_ trying to destroy?"

"What? _No_- no. No _destroying_. We're not into that!" Sokka said, his nervousness showing through his lie.

"Then why have you come here?" Won Shi Tong asked, not believing him for a second.

"Umm…" Sokka quickly racked his brain for something to say, "…Knowledge for knowledge's sake?" Hoshiko fought the urge to slap her forehead.

"If you're going to lie to an all-knowing spirit being," Won Shi Tong said, "You should at least put some effort into it."

"I'm not lying!" Sokka said quickly, "I'm here with the avatar!" He grabbed Aang and pushed him in front of the great owl, "He's the bridge between our worlds, he'll vouch for me!" He elbowed Aang's back.

"Ow!" Aang said in a low voice, "Uh, yeah. I'll vouch." He looked up at the spirit, "We will not abuse the knowledge in your library, good spirit. You have my word." Everyone bowed to him.

Won Shi Tong hummed thoughtfully as he mulled over the avatar's vow in his head. "Very well," He said, "I'll let you peruse my vast collection. On one condition: To prove your worth as scholars, you humans must contribute some worthwhile knowledge."

"So I don't have to?" Hoshiko asked, when the owl nodded, she did a victorious arm-pump, "Yes!"

Professor Xei pulled a large book from his bag and walked forward, kneeling before the spirit, "Please accept this tome as a donation to your library."

"First edition." Won Shi Tong mused, looking at it, "Very nice." He moved his wing over the book and it was gone from the professor's hands. Professor Xei stood and backed away from the spirit, and Katara stepped forward, holding an open scroll.

"I have an authentic water bending scroll." She said.

"Ooh. These illustrations are quite stylish." Won Shi Tong waved his wing over the scroll and it was gone as well.

"Uh…" Aang thought of what he might contribute as knowledge, "Oh! I know!" He reached into his shirt and pulled out a scroll that bore his wanted poster, "Ha!"

"…I suppose that counts." Won Shi Tong consented, taking the scroll from Aang. Sokka stepped forward in front of the giant owl.

"O great spirit," He began, "Check this out." He took a string and tied it into a knot that resembled a dragonfly, "Ta-da!" Won Shi Tong stared at it blankly (or what must have been blankly, it was hard to read the facial expressions of an owl). "It's a special knot! That counts as knowledge!"

"You're not very bright, are you?" Won Shi Tong said, accepting the knot and taking it from Sokka, who scowled at the mention of not being very bright. "Enjoy the library." Won Shi Tong lifted up his wings, which must have been twenty feet each at least, and jumped down from the floor they stood on, gliding down somewhere below them. As they walked away towards the nearest bookshelves, Sokka glared down at the large owl.

"Bright enough to fool you." He muttered, before following the others.

* * *

Hoshiko reached up to attempt to get a book on a high shelf that read "The Shinjun Tribe, a History" on the spine. She stood on her tiptoes in an attempt to be higher, but her fingers only barely grazed the wood of the shelf it sat on. She jumped when she felt little feet climb up her back and she saw Momo scramble up her arm and latch onto the book with his paws before throwing it out of the bookcase. Hoshiko caught the large tome with a grunt and smiled up at the lemur as he jumped onto her shoulder.

"Good job, Momo." She said as she scratched behind the lemur's ear. He purred happily at the feel of it and when she stopped, he jumped off her shoulder and onto Aang's. Hoshiko opened up the large tome to the table of contents to see it was something similar to an entire explanation of Shinjun culture that went as far back as it possibly could in history. With a growing smile and high expectations for her people's history, she opened the book to the first chapter and leaned against the bookshelf next to Aang. Looking up from it as she saw one of the knowledge seekers come by, placing a book in one of the shelves.

The young air bender was currently looking through different paintings made by the same artist who died over five hundred years ago. He flipped one of the pictures to another depicting a group of giant lion turtles moving around on land, one of them looking down at a man on the shore of an island.

"Hey, look at these weird lion turtle things!" He said, presenting the picture to Sokka, who only glanced at it as he pocketed a book he thought might be useful against the Fire Nation.

"Eh, I've seen weirder." He said with a shrug, walking past his sister and the professor as he left. Katara was looking through one of the many books about one of the avatars in history. The professor… well, it was hard to tell what he was reading, because he had made a small, paper fort around himself of different books, scrolls, and notes of what he has read and will read.

"Aang," Katara walked over to Aang, holding the book to her chest, "Did you know that in a past life, you were left-handed?" Aang smiled sheepishly and put his hand behind his head.

"I always knew I was special." He said, he looked over at Hoshiko to see her completely engrossed in the book she was reading, "What's that, Hoshiko?" She looked up at the mention of her name.

"What?" She asked, Katara giggled at her blank face and walked forward.

"That must be a good book for you to be so into it." She said, lifting it up to read the cover.

"It is." Hoshiko said with a smile, "Look at this," She moved so Katara could get a good look at the pages and some of the illustrations on them, "Before the hundred year war, we Shinjuns had an entirely different culture! Did you know we were the original bamboo wheat farmers? When we became involved in human lifestyle, we taught your ancestors how to farm and grow fruit." She looked over at Aang when she said this, "And this, too!" She flipped a few pages, "We weren't even aware humans existed until a thousand years ago, when one of them stumbled into one of the spiritual campgrounds and everyone mistook him as a tailless monkey Shinjun from the nearby jungle!" Everyone laughed at the story, "Do you think that knowledge spirit would let me hang onto this? Or, maybe get me another copy? I really want to keep reading it." Katara shrugged.

"Maybe." She said. They all looked up as Sokka ran past them.

"Sokka, where are you going?" Aang asked.

"I wanna know what happened to the Fire Nation on their darkest day." He said, holding up a piece of old parchment, "This could be promising." Everyone shared glances before following him as he ran to a different wing of the library. The wing's entrance was decorated with dragon statues along the walls, and a large red tarp with the symbol for fire was placed at the top. "The information on the Fire Nation should be right up here."

They walked in and were shocked by what they saw. Everything was destroyed, burned to an ashy crisp and laying on the ground. The only things that hadn't been completely destroyed were the lanterns lighting the halls, but even they had a few scorch marks.

"Fire benders." Aang said, looking at the wreckage.

"They destroyed anything that had to do with the Fire Nation." Hoshiko said, looking around.

"That's so _unfair_!" Sokka shouted, stamping his foot, "Just when I think I'm one step ahead of the Fire Nation, it turns out they beat us here a long time ago!" He fell to his knees in front of the remains. He lifted his head slightly, determination showing in his eyes, "I need to know what happened on the darkest day." A sound of whimpering was heard and everyone turned to see one of the knowledge seekers on its hind legs, looking at Sokka. He looked back nervously, "Hello… Little weird fox guy." The creature got back on all fours and pointed its nose in a specific direction.

"Seems it's trying to assist you." Professor Xei mused, looking over at Sokka.

"Um… Sure." Sokka said, "I guess I'll follow you." The group followed the fox creature down different hallways until they came to a large, golden, circle shaped part of the wall that had designs that vaguely resembled a sunflower. The creature crawled into a small hole in the wall, and after a moment, the circle moved to the side and the knowledge seeker stood on the other side. He ushered them in with a whine and they walked into a domed room with clouds and mountains painted on blue walls. In the center of the room was a large circled table with different layers of stone, each one decorated with different symbols. Next to the table was a lever, which the knowledge seeker didn't hesitate to push. A loud whirring and creaking was heard and a large, black covering moved over the room. The covering was filled with holes, and it looked an awful lot like the night sky, constellations included. They even saw a metal moon passing over the sky.

"This room is a true marvel." Professor Xei said, gazing around at it, "A mechanical wonder! It's a planetarium that shows the heavens moving!" The stars disappeared from sight and the blue sky came back, lighting up the room as the mechanical sun rose in the planetarium.

"Uh, this is beautiful." Sokka said, "But how is it helpful?" They looked over at the table decorated with dials.

"Maybe these dials represent dates and times." Katara suggested, looking at them, "Sokka, try entering that date from that parchment you took." Sokka quickly shushed her.

"Katara!" He hissed, "Not in front of the fox, he's with the owl!" The fox in question whimpered sadly and drooped its ears.

Sokka 'inconspicuously' snuck a peek at the date on the parchment he had taken from the library, then moved the dials to the appropriate time. The third day of the seventh month of the second year in the year of the dragon. Then he pushed the lever and watched as the night sky came up again. The fake stars twinkling over their heads.

"Wow." Aang said, "I gotta hand it to you, Sokka. You picked the best mini-vacation, for sure." The night sky began to move away, and suddenly, the lights went out, and the machines stopped.

"Hey, wait." Katara said, looking up at the mechanical sun and moon, "What happened to the sun?" Hoshiko squinted at the two pieces of metal as they stood still in the domed sky.

"Oh, great, Sokka." Hoshiko said, "You broke it." Sokka looked up at the moon and sun and noticed something.

"It's not broken." He said, "The sun is _behind_ the moon. It's a solar eclipse!" A grin broke out over his face, "It's _literally_ the 'darkest day in Fire Nation history'! Now, I get it!" He grabbed Hoshiko's shoulders and made her face him, "Something awful happened on that day, I don't know what, but I do know why." He began to shake her shoulders out of his excitement, "_Fire benders lose their bending during a solar eclipse_!" He pushed her out of his hold and she stumbled back, "Sorry."

"That makes sense!" Katara said, stepping forward to get a closer look at the mechanical sun and moon, "I mean, think of what the lunar eclipse at the North Pole did to the water benders! This is _huge_!" The fox walked over to Sokka, whining as it got on its hind legs in a begging sort of motion.

"Fine, you earned it." Sokka said as he reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of jerky and tossed it to the fox. He walked over to his sister, Aang, and Hoshiko, "We've gotta get this information to the Earth King at Ba-Sing-Se. We'll wait for the next eclipse, then we'll invade the Fire Nation when they're totally helpless. The Fire Lord is going _down_!" Everyone looked up as a large shadow loomed over them, and they jumped when they saw it was Won Shi Tong.

"Mortals are so predictable." The owl said, "And such terrible liars." His eyes seemed to narrow, and he suddenly seemed very dangerous and terrifying. "You betrayed my trust! From the beginning you intended to misuse this knowledge for evil purposes!" Hoshiko flinched at his voice, until that moment, he had spoken calmly to them, but now he was yelling.

"You don't understand!" Sokka said, "If anyone's evil, it's the Fire Nation! You saw what they did to your library, they're destructive and dangerous! We _need_ this information!"

"You think you're the first person to believe their war was justified?" Won Shi Tong demanded, "_Countless_ others before you have come here! Seeking weapons or weaknesses or battle strategies!"

"We had no choice!" Aang said in a pleading tone, "Please, we're just desperate to protect the people we love."

"And now," The spirit began, raising his wings, "I'm going to protect what I love." He began flapping his wings, creating a huge air current that nearly blew everyone away.

"What are you doing?" Aang asked over the rushing wind.

"I'm taking my knowledge back." Won Shi Tong said, "No one will ever abuse it again!" Hoshiko watched in horror as sand began to slide down the walls around them.

"He's sinking the building!" Katara said, "We've gotta get out of here!"

"I'm afraid I can't allow that." Won Shi Tong said, ceasing the flapping, "You already know too much." Hoshiko felt her insides plummet as Won Shi Ton began to change his appearance. His neck became longer, resembling a snake's, and the feathers on his head perked up, making it appear as though he had black horns on his head. He let out an avian shriek as he dove his head down and everyone moved out of the way and began to run. Won Shi Tong not too far behind.

They ran through the hallways to try and lose it, but the owl simply burst through the bookcases and kept coming toward them. They kept running until they came closer to one of the walkways in between sections of the library. Before they reached it, though, the professor turned to the owl.

"Great knowledge spirit! I beg you!" He called out to it, "Do not destroy your vast collection of priceless tomes!" The spirit only came closer to him, and when Aang saw he was about to be eaten by the giant bird, he used his air bending to pull the professor back and onto the other side of the walkway with the others. As Won Shi Tong still came closer, Aang decided this was time to fight back, so he used his air bending to disrupt the flight path of the creature and sent him over the edge of the walkway down further into the building. Knowing that wouldn't keep him down for long, he ran back to the others.

"We've got to get back to the surface!" He said, and everyone began to run to where they had first come in. Everyone but Sokka, who stopped and looked down the path to the planetarium. Katara noticed her brother was missing and turned to face him.

"Sokka, let's go!" Katara said.

"But we still don't know when the next eclipse is gonna happen!" Sokka said.

"Don't be even _more_ stupid!" Hoshiko said, "We'll have to go! We'll find out later!"

"No, we won't!" Sokka retorted, "If we leave this place, we'll never get the information." He looked to his friend, "Aang, come with me to the planetarium, I need cover." Aang dashed over to his friend's side. "Katara, you and Hoshiko take Momo and get out of here!"

"But-!" Katara was cut off as the column that separated the two groups was smashed to bits by Won Shi Tong.

"Go!" Sokka commanded over his shoulder as he and Aang ran for the planetarium. Hoshiko and Katara ran, the professor not too far behind them.

"Hurry, Sokka!" Katara called back, not wanting to spend too much time in the library before it sank. When the spirit flew up into the air, though, the wind blasted the professor back to some unknown region of the library. Hoshiko and Katara looked up in fear as they saw the giant owl descending upon them and ducked out of the way before he landed. They left in different directions, and Hoshiko watched as he went after Katara. She gritted her teeth and pulled up a stream of shadow, making a pole-like barrier between two bookcases and stopping him from going any further towards the water bender. The bird whirled to her and she jumped back out of fear, and began to run, hearing the sound of Won Shi Tong's clawed feet as they scraped across the floor after her.

"_Not in the best position, are you?"_ Hoshiko groaned as the all-too-familiar voice sounded in her head.

"This is the worst possible time for you to try and take over again!" Hoshiko growled at her as she dashed down a hallway.

"_On the contrary, I see it as the perfect time."_ Kagemi said calmly as Hoshiko dodged the owl's beak and kept running, _"You're running for your life in a place you're unfamiliar with. Your life is at stake, meaning mine is, too, by the way. And to top it all off, you're going up against someone from my domain, who knows how to fight a being from the spirit world than one who was born there?"_

"You were born _with_ me, at the same _time_ as me!" Hoshiko growled, before shrieking and ducking the bird's beak again as it destroyed a nearby bookcase. Hoshiko let out a frustrated growl, "Okay! Okay! Look, if I let you take over for ten seconds, will you _please_ get this bird away from me?" Hoshiko completely despised the idea of giving up her body to her other half, if only temporarily, but at this point, she didn't have many options.

"_Oh, absolutely."_ Kagemi said smoothly, _"I'll get the bird away from you, and you'll have all the time you need to get out." _Hoshiko let out a frustrated groan and ducked behind a bookshelf, standing still as she let Kagemi's being come out of her place inside her and on the outside. She slowly felt her consciousness slipping away, feeling as though she was being engulfed in darkness. When she finally felt herself slip, Kagemi opened her eyes, her white irises gleaming darkly as she grinned maliciously. She moved out of the corner and faced the owl, and as he began to move towards her, Kagemi's eye caught the sight of someone moving. She recognized her as the water bending friend of Hoshiko's. Her grin grew and she used shadow bending to bring up a huge wave of inky blackness that pushed it toward her.

Kagemi groaned as she felt her consciousness slowly slipping, her time was running out. She growled angrily, letting Hoshiko come back, for as much as she hated to lose control, she had made a promise, and she always kept her word, no matter what the cost. She felt herself slowly slipping back into the confines of Hoshiko's mind as she re-emerged. Hoshiko stumbled a little when she came back, feeling a small headache.

"_Now hurry and get to the exit!"_ Kagemi's voice said in her mind, _"He won't be kept like that forever!"_ Not knowing that Kagemi has used Katara as bait, Hoshiko agreed and headed for the rope that led her in.

Katara stopped when she saw the knowledge spirit be thrown in front of her. When it saw who was closest to it, the bird jumped up and went after Katara, who ran away. Kagemi saw this and smirked, dashing toward the rope, leaving Katara to fend for herself against the owl.

Katara ran down a hallway and ducked behind a bookcase, holding Momo close to her as she tried to catch her breath. She stayed as quiet as she could as she heard his clawed feet step against the floor. Her heart pounded as she heard them stop, hoping he wouldn't find her. Won Shi Tong looked around the bookcases, searching for her, and his eyes caught sight of Momo's tail.

"At least I'll have one specimen to add to my collection." He said, before diving his head down towards her, and Katara ran, heading for the rope that led out of the library. Her eyes widened when she saw Hoshiko, climbing up it as fast as she could. She turned to the owl, opening the canteen of water she kept on her and getting into a fighting stance.

"Your water bending won't do you much good here." The owl said as he arched his long neck menacingly, "I've studied northern water style, southern water style, even foggy swamp style!" Katara looked up as she heard a war cry and saw her brother jumping off Aang's glider and bringing a very large book down on the owl's head. Won Shi Tong fell to the ground from the hit.

"That's called Sokka style! Learn it!" Sokka said. He grabbed his sister's hand and they used the owl's body as something of a stair case and they began to climb up the rope. Sokka looked around, then stopped when he saw the form of a person not too far away, sitting on the library floor, "Wait!" He called out, making Hoshiko and Katara stop, "Professor, let's go!" Hoshiko looked over to see Professor Xei sitting in the middle of a fort of books he created.

"I'm not leaving!" The professor called back, "I can't. I've spent too long trying to find this place! There's not another collection of knowledge like this on earth!" He looked around at the books then smiled back at Sokka, "I could spend an eternity in here."

Katara looked back up at her brother, "Just go!" She said, shrieking when she felt the rope being pulled and swayed and looked to see Won Shi Tong had awoken and was pulling the rope back and forth to try and shake them off of it. Aang saw this and moved his glider down just as his friend's fell from the rope. Katara grabbed onto Aang's waist, Sokka grabbed Katara's, and Hoshiko grabbed Sokka's. Aang flew the glider up higher and higher, Won Shi Tong flying after them. Then, after what seemed to be forever, they flew up and through the window of the tower and back out into the desert. All but Aang and Hoshiko face planting into the sand. Aang used air bending to cushion his fall, and Hoshiko, for some unknown reason, landed on her feet.

Toph, who had kept the tower from sinking for as long as she could using her earth bending, could hold it up no longer. It fell from her grasp and she flew back into the sand. The remainder of the library sank into the ground, never to be seen again. Toph sat up, sitting on the sand, a forlorn expression on her face. Everyone else stood up. Aang stood and looked around for his bison, who seemed to be nowhere in sight.

"We got it!" Sokka exclaimed to Katara, "There's a solar eclipse coming!" He ran over and hugged his sister happily, "The Fire Nation's in trouble now!" Aang, still not seeing his bison, walked over to where Toph was still stationed on the ground.

"Where's Appa?" He asked her quietly. Toph said nothing, she only shook her head. Aang gasped at the realization that Appa was lost. Tears flooded his eyes.

Appa, his lifelong friend and companion, was gone.

* * *

**Yay! Chapter 14!**

**Okay, I seriously thought after fourteen chapters, I'd have a few more reviews than this. I do appreciate the last one I got, but there's a whole lot of people I still want to hear from. So, please, review my story! I want to know if it's crap or not so far, because I won't know if it is until you tell me!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	15. The Desert

15

Everyone stood in silence as they looked at their surroundings, nothing but sand for miles. Sokka looked out at the huge expanse before them hopelessly as the group behind him began to speak.

"How could you let them take Appa?" Aang demanded angrily of Toph, "Why didn't you stop them?"

"I _couldn't_!" Toph said, "The library was sinking! You guys were still inside! And-"

"You could've come to get us!" Aang said, marching over to her, "I could've saved him!"

"I can hardly feel any vibrations out here!" Toph said, "The sand benders snuck up on me, and there wasn't time for-!"

"You just didn't care!" Aang shouted, "You never liked Appa! You _wanted_ him gone!"

"Aang, enough!" Hoshiko said, coming over to Toph's defense, "Look, you know Toph did everything she could. She saved our lives!"

"Who's gonna save our lives _now_?" Sokka asked, turning to them, "We'll never make it out of here."

"That's all any of you guys care about! Yourselves!" Aang growled, stalking away from the group, "You don't care whether Appa is okay or not!"

"We're all concerned," Katara said calmly, "But we can't afford to be fighting now."

After a moment of silence, Aang said, "I'm going after Appa!" He jumped up into the air and opened his glider, flying away. Katara ran after him, calling his name, but he didn't seem to hear.

"We'd better start walking." Katara said once he had disappeared, "We're the only people who know about the solar eclipse. We _have_ to get that information to Ba-Sing-Se." She began walking through the sand, Sokka, Hoshiko, and Toph walking after her, and Momo gliding onto Sokka's shoulder.

"You think if we dig out the giant owl, he'll give us a ride?" Sokka asked.

"Sokka?" Hoshiko said.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Shut up."

* * *

An hour of walking through the scorching desert, not many people can stand that. And, nobody really did. Everyone hated the heat, and Hoshiko worried that she would die of heat stroke if she kept walking. She looked around at the others and saw that all of their faces were flushed, and they were all covered in sweat. Sokka put Momo up on his head and pulled out the lemur's wings to give himself some shade. Toph bumped into him and made Momo fall off his head, Sokka scowled at the earth bender.

"Can't you watch where you're-" He stopped, realizing how stupid that was going to sound.

"No." Toph said bitterly.

"Right, sorry." He said, rubbing at his neck embarrassedly.

"Come on, guys." Katara said, "We have to stick together."

"If I sweat anymore, I don't think sticking together will be a problem." Sokka said, struggling to detach his shirt from Toph's. She reached up and pushed him off of her, making him fall into the sand.

"Katara, can I have some water?" Toph asked. Katara seemed to waging a mental battle before nodding.

"Okay, but we've gotta try to conserve it." Katara said, she pulled out her bending water and separated some of it into four orbs and bent each one into a different person's mouth. Sokka swished the water around in his mouth before he swallowed it.

"We're drinking your bending water?" He asked, he smacked his lips together before he exclaimed in disgust, "_You used this on the swamp guy_!"

Hoshiko's face contorted to one of disgust, sticking out her tongue, "_Ew_! Katara!"

"It does taste swampy." Toph commented idly. Momo made a displeased growl at the taste.

"I'm sorry, it's all we have." Katara reasoned. Sokka looked out into the distance and smiled.

"Not anymore! Look!" He pointed to a cactus that was growing a few feet away. He ran over to it, sliced off part of the top, and began drinking some of its juice.

"Sokka, wait!" Katara said, grabbing Toph's hand as she and Hoshiko rushed over, "You shouldn't be eating strange plants!" Momo quickly dug into one himself as Sokka threw away part of the cactus and opened up another part of it.

"There's water trapped inside these!" He said, holding it out to his sister, who backed away from it.

"I don't know…" She said, looking at the juice unsurely.

"Suit yourself." Sokka said with a shrug, "It's very thirst-quenching, though." Hoshiko watched as his pupils suddenly became dilated, and he began sweating a little more. Then, in a very strange voice, he began to say, "Drink cactus juice! It'll quench ya! Nothing's quenchier! It's the quenchiest!" Hoshiko and Katara exchanged uncertain looks before Katara reached out and took the piece of cactus from her brother's hand and pouring out the juice.

"_Okay_, I think you've had enough." Katara said. Sokka walked over to Toph and stared at her.

"Who lit Toph on fire?" Sokka asked, Hoshiko groaned, realizing he was hallucinating. She and Katara looked up as they saw Momo flying around in circles and then face planting into the ground. Katara knelt down and picked him up.

"Can I get some of that cactus?" Toph asked, Hoshiko put her hand on the earth bender's shoulder.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." She said, Katara nodded and she began to walk, the other two girls following her.

"Come on," She said, "We need to find Aang." Hoshiko looked back when she realized Sokka wasn't coming and ran over to him, grabbed his arm, and pulled him along with them.

"How did we get out here in the middle of the ocean?" Sokka asked, awed. Hoshiko and Katara let out a groan. This was going to be a _long_ walk.

They all stopped once they heard a loud booming noise and looked behind them. They closed their eyes to keep the sand out of them as a huge gust of wind came from nowhere. It only lasted for a second, and when they looked at what might've caused it, they saw a huge, brown mushroom shaped cloud forming in the distance.

"What _is_ that?" Katara asked, looking at it.

"What? What is what?" Toph asked, looking around.

"It's a giant… Mushroom…" Sokka said, in awe as he looked at it, raising his arms up, "MAYBE IT'S FRIENDLY!" Katara grabbed Toph's hand.

"Let's just keep moving." She said, walking away from the mushroom cloud, muttering to herself, "I hope Aang's okay."

Hoshiko noticed that Sokka wasn't following them again and saw him waving his arms back and forth as he chanted, "_Friendly mushroom! Mushy, giant friend!_" She walked up to him and grabbed the back of his shirt, dragging him along.

* * *

They walked on for hours and hours, until the sun had begun to set behind the sandy dunes. Katara led the group because Toph couldn't see in the sand, Sokka was still hallucinating off the cactus juice, and Hoshiko was being bugged by him more and more, asking when she had horns in her head, or if she had tentacles hidden under her shirt. They looked up as a shadow passed over them and saw Aang on his glider. He landed near them, and Katara went over to his side.

"I'm sorry, Aang." She said gently, "I know it's hard for you right now, but we need to focus on getting out of here." She put her hand on his shoulder and he turned away.

"What's the difference?" Aang asked hopelessly, "We won't survive without Appa. We all know it."

"Come on, Aang!" Katara encouraged, "We can do this if we work together! Right, Hoshiko?" Hoshiko shrugged.

"As much as I hate to say it, I agree with the hopeless guy." She said, "I don't know if we can keep going without that big fluff ball."

"Toph?" Katara asked, looking toward the blind girl.

"As far as I can feel," She said, "We're trapped in a giant bowl of sand-pudding." She kicked some of the sand, "I got nothing."

Katara turned to her brother as he lay on his back on the sand, "Sokka? Any ideas how to find Ba-Sing-Se?"

"Why don't we ask the circle birds?" Sokka asked, pointing at the sky. The group looked up and saw four buzzard wasps circling the group ominously.

"Oh, _that's_ comforting." Hoshiko growled sarcastically. Katara looked around her, she saw Aang, despondent, depressed, and hopeless, kneeling on the ground where he landed. She looked to Toph, who stumbled in her footing in the sand. She looked to Hoshiko who was staring hatefully at the buzzard wasps. Then she looked to Sokka, who looked blissfully content in his hallucinogenic state. She let out a huff and summoned up all the courage she could.

"We're getting out of this desert, and we're gonna do it together." She declared, "Aang, get up." She pulled him up from the ground, "Everybody, hold hands. We can do this. We have to." Everyone did as they were told, Katara holding onto Aang's staff, his other hand in Hoshiko's, her other hand in Toph's, Toph's other hand holding Sokka's, and Sokka's other hand was holding on to Momo's tail, laughing as he glided against the tiny current of wind they made as they moved, flapping his wings every few seconds. They walked away from the circling bird-bugs and trudged through the sand, making their way out of the desert.

* * *

Dusk quickly became night, and the five of them were still being led by Katara through the cold night. They reached the top of one of the dunes, everyone but Katara seemed exhausted.

"I think we should stop for the night." Katara said, with sighs and groans of relief, everyone fell to the ground against the sand.

"Is there any more water?" Toph asked, Katara walked over to her.

"This is the last of it." Katara said, opening her water pouch up, "Everyone can have a little drink." She bended the water out of the pouch. Once it was in the air, Momo jumped through it, making the water splash into the sand.

"MOMO, NOOO!" Sokka shouted in a lamenting voice, "YOU'VE KILLED US ALL!"

"No, he hasn't." Katara replied calmly, bending the water out of the sand. Sokka looked at it in wonder.

"Oh, right." He said with a loopy smile, "Bending." Katara put the water back in the pouch and handed it to Toph, so Momo wouldn't be tempted to jump through the water again if she bended it out.

"Sokka, let me see the things you got from the library." Katara said, kneeling down. Sokka instantly jumped up, clutching his bag to his chest.

"What? I didn't steal anything! Who told you that?" He asked quickly, when Momo ran up to him, he pointed his finger at the lemur accusingly, "It was _you_! You ratted me out!" Momo ran over to Hoshiko and hid behind her tail, covering his eyes with it to try and hide from him.

"Sokka, I was _there_." Katara said dryly as she took the bag from him and pulled out some of the charts and maps he had taken.

"It doesn't matter." Aang said despondently, "None of those will tell us where Appa is."

"No, but we can find out which way Ba-Sing-Se is." Katara said, pulling out a star chart, "We can use the stars to guide us. That way, we can travel at night when it's cool and rest during the day." She looked back at the group to see them all lying on the sand, eyes shut and breaths calm. She sighed, "Just try to get some sleep. We'll start again in a few hours."

Sleep was a welcome reprieve from all the traveling they had done. Hoshiko snuggled herself into the sand and let the wonderful, sluggish sensation of sleep overtake her.

* * *

_Hoshiko stood alone in the darkness again. It was Kagemi's domain. How she hated the place. She waited for the shadowy entity to appear, but she didn't. Instead, the place was silent. Was she sleeping? Was she gone? Where was the shadow attached to her soul? She heard nothing in the darkness. Utter silence. _

_It irked her._

_She searched the darkness for someone, anyone. Frantically, she started to run, searching for some being to offer her comfort of some kind, but she found no one. Her heart beat erratically in her chest as she searched. She felt a chilling hand touch her shoulder and looked to see the shadowy figure of Kagemi looking at her. She smiled a terrifying smile, showing all her teeth, and raised a clawed hand up high._

"_You did it once, you'll do it again!" She exclaimed, and brought the claw down at her._

* * *

"Hoshiko." The Shinjun's eyes shot open at the sound of her name. She looked to see Katara was gently shaking her awake, "Come on." She nodded and sat up, watching as Katara went over to her brother and gently shook him awake from the sand-bed Momo had made for him. "Get up, we need to go." Sokka yawned as he got up. He looked over at Toph as she sat up as well, smacking her lips.

"Yesterday, my mouth tasted like mud." She said, "Now it just tastes like sand. I never thought I'd miss the taste of mud so much." Hoshiko said nothing as she stood, patting and wiping off any sand on her body. Katara moved over to Aang to wake him up.

"I'm awake." Aang said before she touched him, "I couldn't sleep."

"Well, we need to get moving if we want to get out of this sandpit." Katara said, Aang nodded and turned his gaze to the moon, eyes widening and face brightening as he saw something float by it.

"Appa!" He exclaimed.

"Appa?" Sokka repeated, wrinkling his nose in confusion, "Buy why would Princess Yue need _him_?" He started rubbing Momo's tail against his face, "She's the _moon_, she flies by herself!" As 'Appa' moved closer to the moon, they saw it wasn't Appa that was there, but a small cloud in the desert night sky.

"It's just a cloud." Katara said, Aang's smile disappeared and he became downcast again, "Wait… A cloud!" Katara's face brightened a little and she held out her water pouch to Aang, "Here, fly up and bend the water from that cloud into my pouch!" Aang scowled at her and snatched the pouch out of her hands. He opened his glider and took off into the sky. Everyone looked as they saw him bend one half of the cloud away, then the other half. It was only a few seconds later that he came back down, throwing the pouch at Katara. She opened it up and looked at what he got, "Wow, there's… hardly any in here."

"I'm sorry, okay?" Aang snapped angrily, making everyone jump at his sudden fury, "It's a desert cloud, I did all I could! What's anyone _else_ doing? What are _you_ doing?" He jabbed his staff at Katara, who looked at him with wide eyes. Hoshiko stepped in front of her and grabbed Aang's staff.

"Okay, you need to calm down." She said.

"Why should I?" Aang demanded, Hoshiko glared at him, a defensive growl sounding in her throat.

"Because you're acting like a complete jackass!" Hoshiko said, taking a step forward.

"Well, you'd know all about _that_, wouldn't you?" Aang retorted. Hoshiko roared loudly, stepping up to him and glaring down at him.

"How about I _kick_ your skinny ass out of this desert?" She growled, showing her elongated canines as she gritted her teeth.

"You want to challenge the avatar?" Aang asked.

"No, I want to challenge _this child_!" Hoshiko snarled. Aang yanked his staff out of her hands and pointed it at her, she took her own fighting stance, ready to battle against him in the darkness.

"Guys!" Toph shouted, getting their attention, "Enough. You can kill each other later, once we get out of this desert and we're all okay." Hoshiko and Aang glared at each other one last time, before turning away.

"Let's just get moving." Katara said, bringing out the star charts, and using them to map her way, "We need to head this direction." Everyone followed her as they went through the desert. They didn't get too far over one of the dunes before Toph tripped on something and fell face-first into the sand.

"OW! _Crud_!" She cursed, "I am _so_ sick of not feeling where I'm going!" She gently rubbed the foot she tripped on, glaring in the direction of the strange thing pointing out of the sand that caused her to fall, "And what _idiot_ buried a boat in the middle of the desert?"

"A boat?" Katara repeated, looking at the thing she tripped on and running over to it, trying to dig it out of the sand.

"Believe me, I kicked it hard enough to feel plenty of vibrations." Toph grumbled irritably. Aang walked over to where Katara was digging out the boat, holding his staff in his hands. Katara looked up at him, and moved out of his way as he let out a huge gust of wind, making the sand fly up and away from it to reveal a familiar structure.

"It's one of the gliders the sand benders use!" Katara exclaimed as she ran up to where the one who guides the glider would stand, "And look," She tapped the strange compass at the head of the glider, "It's got some kind of compass on it. I bet it can point us out of here!" She looked down at the young air bender, "Aang, you can bend a breeze so we can sail it. We're gonna make it!" Everyone looked over at the only member of their party who wasn't there, and saw Sokka burying Momo in the sand like he had done to him earlier. He gave them a thumbs-up and Hoshiko smacked her forehead with her hand.

He was _never_ drinking cactus juice again.

She would make sure of it.

* * *

Hoshiko sat next to Toph as they rode on the glider. Katara stood at the head, directing Aang which way they should go, though she was mainly following the compass needle on the glider. Sokka sat behind her, still in his hallucinogenic state, using Momo like a kite, holding his tail as he glided against the air. Aang stood in front of the sail, making a powerful wind that blew the glider along.

"The needle on this compass doesn't seem to be pointing north, according to my charts." Katara said, comparing the needle to the night sky.

"Take it easy, little lady." Sokka said in a dazed voice, "I'm sure the sand-folks who built this baby know how to get around here." Katara rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to what was in front of them. She gasped as they came closer to a giant rock standing in the sand.

"That's what the compass is pointing to!" Katara said, "That giant rock!"

"It must be the magnetic center of the desert." Hoshiko mused as she looked at it.

"A rock?" Toph repeated, a smile breaking out on her face, "Yes! Let's go!"

"Maybe we can find some water there!" Katara said, looking at the rock hopefully.

"Maybe we can find some sand benders." Aang growled lowly. Although no one seemed to hear him except Hoshiko, who wasn't at all surprised at what he said.

The morning sun was beginning break out over the desert sky as they came closer and closer to the rock. When they stopped the glider, Toph was the first one off and demanded which direction the rock was. Hoshiko led her to it, and once she touched the rock she immediately bent a path of earth for them to travel up to the top of the rock. They all walked up and Toph seemed to be in utter bliss as her bare feet hit the stone.

When they reached the top, she sighed happily and fell against the rock, "_Ahh_! Finally!" She moved her arms back and forth in the rock, making something of an angel impression, "Solid ground!" Hoshiko looked around them and saw a number of odd caves surrounding them.

"Come on," She said to the others, "If we're going to find water, that's the best place to go." Everyone followed her as she went into the cave.

Sokka let out a deep breath, "I think my head is starting to clear out the cactus juice." He said, he looked at the goop hanging off the cave walls, "And look!" He scooped some up and ate it, and gave some to Momo as well, who was sitting on his shoulder. They both spat it out the moment they tasted it and Sokka glared at it, "It tastes like rotten penguin meat!" He groaned and leaned over, "Oh, I feel woozy." Hoshiko's eyebrow twitched irritably at him.

"You've been hallucinating on cactus juice all day, and _then_ you suddenly decide to _lick something you find stuck on the wall of a cave?_!" She asked him angrily, tired of having to deal with his hallucinating self.

"I have a natural curiosity." Sokka said, Hoshiko clenched her fists, sorely tempted to hit him.

"I don't think this is a normal cave." Toph said, dragging her hand along the wall. "This was _carved_ by something."

"Yeah…" Aang agreed, looking at the walls of the cave, "Look at the shape." Everyone looked to see it made something of a hexagon shape through the whole cave. Hoshiko suddenly got a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, knowing only one kind of creature that could make homes of that shape.

"There's something… buzzing in here." Toph said, for lack of a better word, "Something that's coming for us!" Everyone began to hear the sound of buzzing as it came closer and closer and ran out of the cave. An entire hoard of buzzard wasps came out after them, screeching at the intruders who dared to come inside their hive. They easily surrounded them and began to approach. Aang shot the first one away with air bending, and when one of them landed, Hoshiko used shadow bending to knock it away. One flew by Toph and Sokka, and Toph lifted up a rock to try and squish it, but she missed, and nearly squished Sokka instead.

"What are you doing?" Sokka demanded, "That rock almost crushed me!"

"Sorry!" Toph said quickly, "I can't tell where they are in the air!" Another beaked insect flew by them and Sokka dashed after it.

"I got this one!" He said, he used his machete to slice at it, but it was already gone. Sokka kept slicing at the air in front of him.

"Sokka, there's nothing there!" Hoshiko shouted, he stopped and looked back at the others with a shrug.

"I guess my head's not as clear as I thought." He said, Hoshiko rolled her eyes.

"We have to get out of here!" Katara said as she looked at all the buzzard wasps, "I'm completely out of water to bend!" A loud screech caught everyone's attention and they saw one of the wasps carrying Momo away from them.

"Momo!" Aang exclaimed, he gritted his teeth in determination, "I'm not losing anyone else out here!" He opened his glider and flew after the wasp. Katara looked back at Hoshiko and Toph.

"Come on," She said, "We're going down." The three of them followed Katara as they went down the path they had bent for themselves. Hoshiko looked up as a wasp approached them and knocked it away with shadow bending. At the same time, another was approaching and she didn't see it coming. Katara went behind Toph and turned her in the direction of the wasp, "Toph, shoot a rock right there." Toph bent up a few rocks, "Fire!" She shot them at the wasp and it went down.

"Yeah! You got it!" Sokka cheered, he looked over at his sister, "She got it, right?"

"Yes." Katara answered, "Now let's move." They all ran down the path with Hoshiko and Toph leading the way, seeing as they were the only ones who could bend at the moment. They knocked away wasp after wasp until they reached the sandy ground again, but Toph stayed on the rock for as long as she could so she could bend at the wasps so they could safely reach the glider (With Katara directing her, of course.)

"On your left!" Katara said, Toph shot a rock at her left and knocked down another wasp. Hoshiko swatted away one that tried to come down at them from above. This wasn't good. Even if they did make it to the glider before the wasps got them, she would be the only one able to bend, and she couldn't take on an entire hive by herself. When their backs seemed to be against the stony wall, a huge wave of sand burst upward, scaring away the wasps and sending them back into their hive. When the four of them looked to see what had happened, they saw an entire troop of sand benders standing there. Aang came down from above them, glaring hatefully at the sand bending reptilians.

One of the reptilians came up, removing the wraps from around his face that protected him from the sandy wind. Another came up beside him, doing the same thing. The first one was revealed to be a rather middle-aged one, with deep wrinkles set in his scales, and a dark blonde beard covering his face. The other was his son, his bright yellow hair tied back in a ponytail.

"What are you doing in our land with a sand bender sailor?" The older man asked, "From the looks of it, you stole it from the Hami tribe."

"We found the sailor abandoned in the desert." Katara said, "We're traveling with the avatar." She gestured to Aang as she said this, and the man's harsh stare softened, "Our bison was stolen, and we have to get to Ba-Sing-Se."

"You _dare_ accuse our people of theft while you ride in on a stolen sand sailor?" The son demanded angrily. Toph and Hoshiko's eyes narrowed. Toph because she recognized his voice, Hoshiko because she was curious as to his sudden outburst about theft when Appa was mentioned. Guilty conscience much?

"Quiet, Gashwin!" The leader said to his son, "No one accused our people of anything! If what they say is true, we must give them hospitality!"

"Sorry, father." Gashwin muttered, looking away shamefully. Toph's eyes widened when she was certain of where she had heard the voice.

"I recognize the son's voice." She said quietly to the others, "_He_'s the one that stole Appa."

"How can you be sure?" Hoshiko whispered.

"I _never_ forget a voice." Toph said. Hoshiko chalked up her reasoning to the fact her blindness handicapped her sight, but not her other senses. She felt a small breeze flowing behind her and she looked to see Aang's air bending was reacting to his emotions, anger in particular. He stepped forward, wielding his staff at the sand benders.

"You stole Appa!" Aang growled, pointing his staff at Gashwin, "Where is he? What did you do to him?"

"T-They're lying!" Gashwin said to his father, "_They're_ the thieves!" Aang lifted his staff up and brought it down, using air bending to destroy one of the sand sailors they had used to get here.

"Where is my bison?" He demanded in a dangerous tone, glaring at the son. When he didn't respond, Aang only grew angrier, "You tell me where he is _now_!" He lifted the staff up from the ground and destroyed another sailor.

"What did you _do?_!" The father asked Gashwin, glaring at him accusingly.

"It wasn't me!" The son said.

"_You_ said to put a muzzle on him!" Toph said, pointing at the son.

"You _muzzled Appa?_!" Aang snarled out. Hoshiko's eyes went wide in fear as she saw his eyes and tattoos begin to glow. His fury had pushed him into the avatar state! He used air bending to destroy the last of the tribe's sailors with a powerful gust of wind.

"I'm sorry!" Gashwin said quickly, "I didn't know it belonged to the avatar!"

**"Tell me where Appa is!"** Aang demanded, his voice sounding like a thousand voices, making him all the more intimidating.

"I-I traded him! To some merchants!" Gashwin said quickly, "He's probably in Ba-Sing-Se by now… They were gonna sell him there…" Aang's glare didn't soften and the reptilians backed away in defense, "Please! We'll escort you out of the desert! We'll help however we can!" The small air current around Aang grew more and more powerful, bringing up sand as it swirled around him.

"Just get out of here!" Sokka said to the reptilians, grabbing Toph's hand as he ran away, "Run!" Hoshiko quickly followed him as the wind became more and more powerful. She ran until the sand that had been kicked up became too much for her to go any further, making a terrible sandstorm that surrounded them. She protected herself against the powerful wind and squinted her eyes to see that Katara had not followed them. She tried to call out to her, but it was impossible over the sounds of wind. She watched as she stepped closer to Aang, reaching out and taking his wrist. She pulled him away from the orb of air he had made and into her arms. After a moment, the wind began to die down, and suddenly, it was gone. The only thing left of Aang's anger was shown in Katara's arms, as the glowing disappeared, and showed Aang being held in her arms with tears drying on his cheeks.

When the reptilians saw it was safe, they came closer. When Aang began to awaken, they stepped back, fearing his fury. Aang showed no anger to them, except for the occasional dirty glare at Gashwin, but other than that, he was unemotional.

"Well, now what?" Sokka asked, "We can't all fit on the sand sailor we found."

"Gee, you _think_?" Hoshiko asked sarcastically. Sokka glared at her.

"_So_ not the time, Hoshiko." He said. One of the reptilians stepped forward, removing some of the wraps from his own face.

"Hoshiko?" He repeated, catching her attention, "As in, Hoshiko of the Siela tribe in the eastern Earth Kingdom?"

"Yes?" Hoshiko said unsurely, looking at the reptilian, "Do I know you?"

"You mean you don't recognize me?" The reptilian asked, removing his wraps completely, showing a young male face with blonde hair and long bangs, one of them covering one of his amber golden eyes. Hoshiko's eyes widened in shock.

"Makozo!" She exclaimed, then smiled, "I don't believe it!"

"You know him?" Toph asked, Hoshiko nodded, walking over to him.

"Makozo is Xana's eldest brother." She said, clapping his hand in hers in a rough friendly way, "He would come with her sometimes when she came to visit us. It's good to see you!" He pulled her into a one-arm hug that only lasted a moment.

"You, too." He said, "What luck! To come across you in this sandpit, surely it's a sign."

"No kidding." Hoshiko said. "How is everyone?"

Makozo shrugged, "Can't complain." He said, "How is my baby sister?"

"She's doing well from what I last heard." Hoshiko said, "So… about escorting us out of the desert…?"

"Oh, of course!" Makozo said, turning to the leader, "If that's alright with you, Chief."

He nodded, "Yes." He said, "But we will have to return to our tribe to fetch more sand sailors for you us to take you out."

"I think we'll be alright until then." Hoshiko said, turning to her friends, "Right guys?"

"I think so." Katara said with a nod, Hoshiko nodded back and looked at Makozo.

"Lead the way, my friend." She said with a smile. Makozo smiled back and led her to the sand sailor their group had ridden on.

* * *

Katara, Toph, Aang and Sokka looked around at the reptilian children as they swarmed around them, grabbing their clothes and inviting them to play games with them.

"Sorry," Makozo said, "It's the first time they've ever seen a human." Hoshiko giggled when a pair of girls began playing with Katara's braid. She smiled as they sat her down and began undoing her braid to re-style her hair. Aang let some of the kids see his staff they were so interested in. Toph let the kids look at her milky eyes and tried to see if she was blind, and Toph let them think she couldn't see their hands waving in front of her face, even though she could feel it just fine. Sokka shouted angrily at the kids when they took his weapons, but his animated reaction was very comical to them and they would tease him by playing 'keep away' with his boomerang. Some of them fawned over Momo, scratching behind his ear and petting his back.

Hoshiko giggled behind her hand as she watched them play with her friends. Makozo gently nudged her shoulder and nodded toward one of the tribe's teepees. "Come on." She followed him inside and looked around at the inside. The walls of the teepee were surrounded with pillows, and the sandy floor was covered in a tribal style carpet. In the center of it was a teakettle boiling over a small fire. He pulled a couple of teacups out of a box and smiled at her, "Gin-sing tea?"

"My favorite." Hoshiko said, sitting on one of the pillows near the kettle and Makozo sat opposite her. He poured tea into each of the cups and handed one to her.

"Cheers." Makozo said, clinking his cup with hers.

"Cheers." Hoshiko said. They both took a sip of the tea and Hoshiko sighed contentedly, "Good stuff."

"Thanks." Makozo said, "So, what have you heard about Xana?"

"She's in a Shinjun encampment outside Ba-Sing-Se." Hoshiko said, "Or, that's where she's headed at least. That's what I last heard from her."

"Uh huh…" Makozo said thoughtfully, taking a sip of his tea, "And before that?" Hoshiko looked at him questioningly.

"You don't know?" She asked.

"Xana hasn't sent us a single letter since she left the tribe." Makozo said, looking down at his tea with a sad smile, "I guess she really wants to be separated from our cultures…"

"Well, can you blame her?" Hoshiko asked, "You were putting her into an arranged marriage with someone she hated. She couldn't stand the idea of forced marriage, so she ran away." Makozo sighed.

"I know." He said, "I tried explaining that to dad, but he won't hear anything about it." He looked back up at Hoshiko, "When you see her, will you tell her that all her brothers are on her side about this?"

"Of course." Hoshiko said, "Xana would be so happy to hear that." The reptilian smiled.

"Well then," He raised his cup up, "To accepting changes." Hoshiko smiled and raised her cup as well.

"To good friends." She said, they both drank to their toast, and spent a good few minutes simply chatting. Hoshiko heard about everything that had been happening since Xana had left, and Makozo heard about Hoshiko's adventures with the avatar. Everything after that was just idle chatter that was broken when Sokka burst through the opening of the tent, looking worn out and clutching his weapons to his chest.

"Hoshiko, the sailors are ready." He said, "Let's _go_." Hoshiko huffed out a sigh.

"Fine." She said, she looked back at Makozo and stood, "I'll see you around, Makozo."

"You too." Makozo said, standing up as well, he followed her and Sokka out of the tent to the spot where they were being escorted out of the Si Wong desert. Toph sat on one waving to the kid reptilians who waved back. Aang was waving goodbye along with Katara, who was sporting a new desert-flower style braid that actually didn't look that bad on her. Hoshiko climbed up on one of the sailors and waved goodbye to Makozo. "Say hi to Xana for me when you see her!"

"I will!" Hoshiko called as the sailors took off. The kids ran after the sailors for a little bit, waving goodbye to their new friends as they left the desert for Ba-Sing-Se.

* * *

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	16. The Serpent's Pass

16

Hoshiko sighed happily as she floated about in the water. She and the others had been led out of the desert and Sokka was leading them to Ba-Sing-Se with some maps he had gotten from the spirit library. They had passed a waterfall on the way and decided, what with the hot temperature of the desert torturing them all day, that a nice swim would be very refreshing. Toph sat on the edge with her feet kicking in the water, Hoshiko swam around in the pool, simply lounging in it. Aang was doing the same, only he froze some of the water around him to make a float of some kind to relax in the water. Katara had gone up to the top of the cliff to jump into the pool below. Hoshiko looked when she saw her figure moving against the sky.

"WATER BENDING BOMB!" She shouted as she jumped off, holding her legs to her stomach as she splashed into the water. What a splash it was! It forced Hoshiko and Aang out of the water and onto the shore. Hoshiko landed on her feet, and Aang's ice-float smashed to pieces, breaking his fall. They became drenched in the water that came back down. Hoshiko, Aang, and Toph laughed good naturedly at the stunt, while Sokka scowled, holding up the drenched piece of parchment that was their map.

"Sure! Five thousand year old maps from the spirit library," He began sarcastically, "_Just_ splash some water on 'em!" Katara came out from the pool, wringing out her hair.

"Sorry," She said, bending the water out of the parchment. Sokka got down from the rock he sat on and put the map against the ground.

"So did you figure out what route we're gonna take?" Aang asked as everyone gathered around him.

"Okay, we just got out of the desert, so we must be around here," He pointed to a spot on the map, "And we need to go to Ba-Sing-Se, which is here." He pointed to a drawing of Ba-Sing-Se's walls on the map, "It looks like the only passage connecting the south to the north is this sliver of land called 'The Serpent's Pass'." He pointed to a tiny piece of land that stood in between two halves of a lake before Ba-Sing-Se.

"You're sure that's the best way to go?" Toph asked dubiously.

"Yeah, The Serpent's Pass doesn't sound exactly friendly…" Hoshiko said, looking at the map.

"It's the _only_ way." Sokka said, "I mean, it's not like we have Appa to fly us there."

"Shush up about Appa!" Katara hissed to her brother, "Can't you at least _try_ to be sensitive?" Everyone looked over at Aang to see his reaction. Aang simply sat there, an emotionless look on his face.

"Katara, it's okay." Aang said with more calmness than anyone would have expected, "I know I was upset about losing Appa before, but I just want to focus on getting to Ba-Sing-Se and telling the Earth King about the solar eclipse."

"Oh." Katara responded, "Well, okay. I'm glad you're doing better." Sokka rolled up the map and stood.

"Then to Ba-Sing-Se we go," He said, "No more distractions."

"Hello there, fellow refugees!" A voice called out, everyone turned to see a couple waving to them. A young man and a woman who must've been his wife, because her belly had swelled greatly from carrying his baby. Sokka scowled a little at the sight, knowing the universe just hated him and his efficiency.

Everyone waved back and went up to meet the refugee couple as they came forward.

"Hi there." Aang greeted, shaking the man's hand, "I'm Aang. This is Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Hoshiko." He gestured to his friends as he introduced them.

"I'm Tahn," The man greeted back, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Where are you five headed?"

"Ba-Sing-Se." Hoshiko said, "We have some important business to attend to there."

"Are you guys headed to Ba-Sing-Se, too?" Aang asked.

"Sure are." Tahn said, a smile coming over his face, "We're trying to get there before my wife, Ying, has her baby." He gently rubbed Ying's stomach as he said this, looking up at her lovingly. Hoshiko suddenly felt a sharp pang of jealousy at the couple's happiness, wishing she had someone to be like that with as well, but Kotaro wasn't there.

"Great!" Katara said, "We can travel through The Serpent's Pass together." The couple jumped, eyes wide.

"The Serpent's pass?" Ying repeated, "Only the truly desperate take that deadly route!"

"Deadly route." Toph repeated, punching Sokka painfully on his shoulder with a sarcastic grin, "Great pick, Sokka!" Sokka fell over from the force of the hit and quickly stood back up.

"Well, we _are_ desperate." Sokka said.

"You should come with us to Full Moon bay." Tahn said, "Ferries take refugees across the lake. It's the fastest way to Ba-Sing-Se."

"And it's hidden," Ying added, "So the Fire Nation can't find it."

"Hmm…" Hoshiko said, humming in a thoughtfully sarcastic way, "Peaceful ferry ride, or deadly pass? Which to pick?" Sokka glared at her.

"Just be quiet." He grumbled.

* * *

Tahn and Ying led the way through a tunnel that was hidden on the wall of a cliff. When they reached the end of the tunnel, it was opened up by earth benders. Everyone looked around sadly at what they saw.

It was an entire city of tents, full of men and women, children and the elderly. Hoshiko looked around sadly when she saw some of her own people milling around the tents, looking miserable in their surroundings. They bay itself was gigantic, with three ferry rides ready to take off soon. Hoshiko looked as she saw one leave the bay, already full of people ready to go to Ba-Sing-Se. She saw the bay was illuminated by a hole above them, looking similar to the moon when it was full. She saw how the bay got its name.

"I can't believe how many people's lives have been uprooted by the Fire Nation." Katara said sadly, looking around at the uncountable refugees.

"They are all looking for a better life," Tahn said, "Safe. Behind the walls of Ba-Sing-Se." Hoshiko looked around to see there were long lines being formed in front of the docks, where there were people at desks ready to board the next ship.

"Come on," Hoshiko said to the others, "We need to hurry and board if we want to get to Ba-Sing-Se as fast as we can." The others nodded and became separated from the couple as they went to get their things ready before they boarded.

The five of them waited in the seemingly endless line for about twenty minutes, with an older man pushing a cart of cabbages in front of them. Hoshiko looked over at Sokka as he whispered in Katara's ear, "Does he look familiar to you?" He pointed to the man in front of them. Katara shrugged wordlessly, and Sokka shrugged off whatever he was thinking of.

The old man went in front of them to the old woman, who asked him to present everything he was bringing to the inspectors a few feet away and they began speaking. Hoshiko turned away from the old man and looked to the others.

"What do you think Ba-Sing-Se is like?" She asked them. Everyone looked around, uncertain.

"We've been in the South Pole practically our whole lives." Sokka said, gesturing to him and his sister, "So we couldn't tell you."

"My parents wouldn't let me out of their sight." Toph said, "I've never been." Everyone turned to Aang.

"I never wanted to go to Ba-Sing-Se." He said.

"Why not?" Hoshiko asked.

"Because of what I had heard." Aang said, "They separate the different parts of the town by class. The farthest out is the lowest class and the closest inside is the highest class. The cultures are almost alien to each other, that's why I never wanted to visit."

"No!" The old woman at the desk snapped at the old man in front of them, "I told you already! No vegetables on the ferry! One cabbage slug could destroy the entire ecosystem of Ba-Sing-Se!" The man quickly began shaking his head no at her, but she didn't seem to listen. She pointed to the cabbage cart, "Security!" The old man let out a despairing wail as he watched a large platypus bear destroy his cart.

"MY CABBAGES!" He wailed, falling to his knees. He seemed to be frozen to the spot and the guards had to move him so the line could keep moving. Everyone looked up at the woman, slightly afraid of her.

She stamped something on a piece of paper and called, "Next!" Aang timidly stepped forward.

"Um… Five tickets for the ferry to Ba-Sing-Se, please." He said, holding up five fingers.

"Passports?" The woman asked. Aang looked back at the others before looking back at the woman.

"Uh… Nobody told us we had to have passports." He said.

"Don't you know who this is?" Sokka asked, "He's the avatar!"

"_Bah_!" The woman scoffed, "I see 50 avatars a day! By the way, not a very impressive costume." She pointed to a group of Aang copies who sat near the desks. Momo climbed up Aang's shoulder to look at the copies, "Besides, no animals allowed." She leaned down in his face, "Do I need to call security?" Aang looked back at the platypus bear and grimaced.

"That won't be necessary." Aang said stepping back.

The woman stamped another form as she called, "Next!"

Toph walked past the group, "I'll take care of this." She pulled a piece of paper out from a pocket inside her tunic and placed it on the desk in front of the woman, "My name is Toph Bei-Fong and I'll need five tickets." The woman gasped at Toph's passport.

"The golden seal of the flying boar!" She breathed, then bowed deeply, "It is my pleasure to help _anyone_ of the Bei-Fong family."

"It _is_ your pleasure." Toph replied snobbishly, "As you can see, I am blind and these four imbeciles are my valets." She waved a hand to everyone else, who smiled up at the woman.

"But the animal-" Toph interrupted her.

"Is my seeing-eye lemur." Toph said.

"Well," The woman began, "Normally it's only one ticket per passport, but this document is so official… I guess it's worth five tickets." She stamped five tickets in a row for each one of them. Toph reached up and took each one.

"Thank you very much." She said. She handed a ticket to everyone and they smiled as they walked away.

Once they were out of hearing range of the woman at the desk, Sokka said, "Alright! We scammed that lady _good_!" Hoshiko rolled her eyes at his statement. She turned around when he let out a yelp and looked to see a female guard had grabbed him by the shirt to get his attention. She held out her hand with a stern expression on her face.

"Tickets and passports, please." She said. Hoshiko mentally strangled Sokka, _You idiot! Why did you have to say we scammed her? She heard everything you said!_

"Is there a problem?" Sokka asked nervously.

"Yeah, I got a problem with _you_." The girl said, poking him in the chest. "I've seen your type before. Probably sarcastic, think you're hilarious, and, let me guess, you're traveling with the avatar." Sokka's look of nervousness turned to one of confusion.

"Do I know you?" He asked. The guard grabbed the front of his shirt.

"You mean you don't remember?" She asked him, Sokka looked at her fearfully, "Maybe you'll remember _this_." Hoshiko put herself on high alert, ready to fight, but was very surprised when she kissed his cheek instead of punching him in the gut. A bright smile illuminated Sokka's face.

"Suki!" He cried happily, hugging her. The girl smiled at him and pulled away.

"Sokka, it's good to see you!" She said, just as happy as Sokka. Katara and Aang smiled and went over to greet Suki.

"Suki! I don't believe it!" Katara exclaimed, hugging her.

"It's good to see you, too, Katara." Suki said, she turned to Aang, "And Aang, always a pleasure." She shook his hand with a smile and he smiled back.

"You, too." He said, he turned and saw the confused looks on Toph and Hoshiko's faces. "Oh, right, guys this is Suki, she's an old friend of ours." He gestured to her and she nodded respectfully at them, "Suki, this is Toph, she's my earth bending teacher. And this is Hoshiko, we're helping her look for her family." They both nodded respectfully back at Suki. Hoshiko stumbled when she was suddenly pushed from behind by one of the refugees in line. She rubbed the spot on her back glaring at the man who had bumped her.

"This really isn't the place for a reunion." Suki said, she turned and waved her arm for them to follow, "Come on, I know a place where we can chat."

She led them over to a small viewing box that looked over the bay and its ferries. As they sat down, Hoshiko took in Suki's appearance. She was very beautiful, she couldn't have been much older than her. Her blue eyes sparkled with her smile. She was very slim, and even through the bulky uniform, she could see that she was very athletic.

"You look so different without your make-up." Katara said, "And the new outfit!"

"That crabby lady makes all the security guards wear them." Suki said, looking down at the uniform in distaste, "And look at you, Sleeveless Guy." She smiled at Sokka, "Been working out?"

Sokka smiled arrogantly and rolled his arms, showing off his muscles, "Eh, I'll grab a tree branch and do a few chin-touches every now and then." Sokka said, flexing his arm and patting the 'muscle' that was there, "Nothing major."

Hoshiko snorted in laughter, "Since _when_?" Sokka scowled.

"Since a while ago!" He snapped, "Do you mind?" Hoshiko rolled her eyes.

"By 'a while' do you mean yesterday?" Hoshiko asked slyly, Sokka pouted and turned away, crossing his arms like child.

"Are the other Kyoshi warriors around?" Aang asked.

"Yeah, after you left Kyoshi, we wanted to find a way to help people." Suki said, "We ended up escorting some refugees and we've been here ever since." Momo hopped up on the railing Suki leaned on and she laughed, scratching behind his ear, "Hi Momo! Good to see you, too."

"Wait," Hoshiko said, catching everyone's attention, "Kyoshi, as in _Kyoshi Island_? That place we visited, like, a couple weeks ago? _That_ Suki?" Katara nodded. Hoshiko nodded and smiled slyly at Sokka, "Oh, I _see_."

"What? See what?" Sokka asked, Hoshiko turned away.

"Oh, nothing." She said with a smile. Sokka scowled and turned away, ignoring her.

"So, why are you guys getting tickets for the ferry?" Suki asked, "Wouldn't you just fly across on Appa?" Suki looked as everyone's expressions became downcast at the mention of the bison.

"Appa is missing." Katara said sadly, "We hope to find him in Ba-Sing-Se."

"I'm so sorry to hear that." Suki said, everyone turned to Aang as she asked him, "Are you doing okay?" Aang looked up and saw how everyone looked at him worriedly, and frowned.

"I'm doing fine." He said in an annoyed tone, "Would everybody stop worrying about me?"

"Avatar Aang!" A voice called out. Aang looked over the railing to see Tahn and Ying looking up at him. "You have to help us!" Ying continued, "Someone took all of our belongings! Our passports, our tickets… Everything's gone!" She began to cry and her husband wrapped his arm around her.

"I'll talk to the lady for you." Aang said. Ying and Tahn looked up at Aang with hopeful smiles.

* * *

"No passports, no tickets!" The woman said, stamping Aang's head.

"But she's pregnant and all their stuff was stolen!" Aang tried to reason, "You _have_ to make an exception."

"_No exceptions_!" The lady snapped, "If I just gave away tickets willy-nilly to anyone, there would be no more order! And you know what that means: _No more civilization_!"

"What if we gave them our tickets?" Aang asked.

"No!"

"But-!"

"Next!" Some spit came out of her mouth when she said this and Aang moved away, knowing he wouldn't get through to her. Aang wiped the ink from the stamp off his head as he walked over to the couple.

"Don't worry, you'll get to the city safely." He assured them, "I'll lead you through The Serpent's Pass."

* * *

Everyone followed Aang out of the tunnels after they had given their tickets to another group that had camped out in the bay.

"I can't believe we gave up our tickets," Sokka grumbled, "And now we're going through The Serpent's Pass."

"_I_ can't believe you're still complaining about it." Hoshiko said, Sokka stuck out his tongue at her in response. She growled at him in an animalistic way and he flinched a little in fear.

"I'm coming, too!" A voice called, everyone turned to see Suki, only now she was wearing her Kyoshi outfit and make-up instead of the old uniform. She looked very different from before. Sokka stopped in his tracks and turned to her as she ran closer to him.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked, sounding a little concerned.

"Sokka, I thought you'd _want_ me to come." Suki said, sounding confused.

"I do!" Sokka said quickly, "It's just…" He trailed off, looking away.

"Just what?" Suki asked. Sokka stared at her for a moment before he spoke again.

"Nothing, I'm glad you're coming." He said. Suki walked past him to join the others, and Sokka's shoulders slumped a little. Hoshiko's noticed he looked genuinely concerned about adding Suki to their numbers, and she suddenly figured out why.

Yue.

Her sudden… well, she couldn't say 'death' because she wasn't dead, but her 'rebirth as the moon' affected him in a way that made him concerned for the life of any girl that was close to him like that. So, it was only natural that he was concerned about Suki coming on their travels. Hoshiko could feel her depression as she thought about Yue. She quickly shook it off, knowing that she couldn't be depressed at the moment.

* * *

The Serpent's Pass actually wasn't that far from Full Moon Bay. It only took them about thirty minutes to walk there. The pass wasn't what they had expected at all, it went through the lake, like it did on the map, and was very thin for a piece of land, there were rises in it here in there, making it seem jagged, but it went on a generally straight path.

"This is The Serpent's Pass?" Sokka said, looking at it, "I thought it would be more wind-y, you know, like a serpent." Hoshiko shrugged in response.

"Maybe they misnamed it?" She asked, Sokka shrugged like she had and they both looked back at the gateway that read 'Serpent's Pass' at the top.

"Look at this writing." Ying said, looking at something that had been carved on the side of the wooden gate, "How awful."

"What does it say?" Toph asked.

Katara walked over and examined the carved words, "It says 'abandon hope'."

"How can we abandon hope?" Ying asked sadly, turning to her husband, "That's all we have!" Tahn held her in a comforting embrace, because Ying looked as if she was about to cry.

"I don't know," Aang said, catching everyone's attention, "The monks used to say that hope is just a distraction. So maybe we _do_ need to abandon it." Everyone looked at the air bender in shock.

"What are you talking about?" Katara demanded.

"Hope isn't going to get us into Ba-Sing-Se." Aang said, turning to her with an emotionless expression, "And it's not gonna find Appa." He turned and walked towards the gate, "We need to focus on what we're doing _right now_, and that's getting across this pass."

"Okay, if you say so." Katara said, looking down at the ground. Everyone followed Aang as they travelled on the pathway. As they walked along, the pathway got thinner, and soon they had to walk single file. As they walked, Hoshiko looked out at the eastern side of the lake and saw one of the ferries that were carrying refugees to Ba-Sing-Se. She looked on the other side and jumped when she saw a Fire Nation ship sailing on the waters.

"Anyone have any idea why there's a Fire Nation ship here?" She asked, looking around, seeing that everyone else had noticed it, too.

"The Fire Nation controls the western lake." Suki explained, "Rumor has it they're working on something big on the other side and they don't want anyone to find out what it is."

"Fire Nation making a big project…" Hoshiko muttered, "_That's_ a pleasant thought." Hoshiko turned when she heard the sound of crumbling stone, and saw Tahn had stepped on some loose rock and was beginning to fall. Toph used earth bending to make some of the cliff jut out and catch him before he fell too far down and used that same piece to make him jump back up onto the path. Ying rushed over to him immediately, checking to see if he was hurt.

"I'm okay!" He said, pushing her hands back to herself, but embracing her just the same. Unfortunately, the rock he had stepped on continued to fall and splashed into the lake waters below. The sound of the splash seemed ominous and everyone stood still as they waited to see if the Fire Nation ship would react at all.

They did.

Hoshiko's eyes went wide as she saw the orange glow of a fireball being launched at them.

"They've spotted us!" Sokka exclaimed, "Let's go! Let's go!" Everyone tried to run, but Aang had other ideas. He jumped off the cliff, keeping himself afloat with air bending, pulled his staff back and hit the fireball back to the ship with a powerful gust of wind. It was a direct hit to the ship's helm, but they had already launched the second fireball as it hit them. The fireball soared over Aang and hit some of the rock above the group, specifically over Suki. Sokka pushed her out of the way so she wouldn't be hit, and before the rocks could touch him, Toph used her earth bending to make a large wedge of earth come out above him and made the rocks fall into the ocean instead.

"Suki, are you okay?" Sokka asked frantically as he helped her to her feet, "You _have_ to be more careful, come on!" He dragged her along with him. He didn't hear Toph grumbling to herself about Sokka not thanking her for saving his life. Hoshiko grabbed her wrist and they quickly ran behind a rock wall where the ship wouldn't be able to see them, not that they could do anything at the moment, anyway. With the ship so damaged, they would spend a good few hours on repairing it, so they were safe.

For now, anyways.

* * *

Everyone kept travelling along the pathway until it started to become dark. Hoshiko suggested they make camp before sunset, because they were all very tired, and Ying had told her husband that her feet were starting to feel tight in her shoes. They found a small plateau where everyone could sleep for the night. Once Ying had sat down, her husband sat next to her, gently massaging her swollen feet and ankles. Everyone placed mats where they thought would be a good place to sleep for the night. Aang and Hoshiko started a small fire to keep them all warm, and everyone had packed their own food. When Hoshiko realized that Tahn and Ying only had what they had in their pockets as food, she offered them hers. They instantly refused, saying they shouldn't, and Hoshiko shot back that they should at least eat half to keep up their energy and to help nourish Ying's baby. At the mention of the child, they caved and ate the food, to Hoshiko's satisfaction.

She watched as Suki unrolled her mat on a ledge close to the edge, and Sokka came over to her almost instantly. "Suki, you shouldn't sleep there." He said, dragging her mat away from the ledge, "Who knows how stable this ledge is? It could give way at any moment." He dragged it next to his mat and flattened it out.

"Sokka, I'm fine." Suki insisted, walking over to him, "Stop worrying!"

"You're right, you're right." Sokka said, "You're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself." Suki smiled at him and was about to lay down on the mat, when Sokka suddenly jumped up, screaming, "WAIT!" She stopped, wondering what it was that could have startled him so much, "Oh, never mind, I thought I saw a spider, but you're fine." Suki frowned, not taking a lot of comfort in what he said. Sokka walked away to tend to the fire and Hoshiko came up to the warrior.

"Don't get so upset." She said, "He only said that so you would sleep next to him." Suki smiled a little.

"And the spider?" She asked, Hoshiko pursed her lips thoughtfully, then shrugged as an answer. Suki frowned again and lay down on the mat. Hoshiko looked over at Sokka and her expression became sorrowful, knowing he was only acting like this because of Yue.

* * *

Later on that night, after the moon had risen a bit in the sky, Hoshiko got up, seeing Tahn helping Ying prepare for bed that night. Toph was already snoring inside her earth tent. She noticed that Sokka, and Suki were nowhere to be found. She got up and found Sokka sitting beneath a nature-made stone arch and staring up at the moon. She felt her ears droop at her sadness and was about to go to him, when she caught Suki approaching him out of the corner of her eye. She stayed put and eavesdropped on their conversation.

"It's a beautiful moon." Suki said softly, looking up at it.

"Yeah, it really is." Sokka said, a touch of sadness in his voice. Suki sat next to him, a small smile on her face.

"Look," She began, "I know you're just trying to help, but I can take care of myself."

"I know you can." Sokka said, looking at her.

"Then why are you acting so overprotective?" Suki asked. Sokka looked away from her before he spoke.

"It's so hard to lose someone you care about." Sokka said, "Something happened at the North Pole, and I couldn't protect someone. I don't want anything like that to ever happen again."

"I lost someone I cared about." Suki said, "He didn't die, he just went away. I only had a few days to get to know him, but he was smart, and brave, and funny…"

"Who is this guy?" Sokka asked with a scowl on his face, "Is he taller than me?"

"No," Suki said with a smile, "He's about your height."

"Is he better looking?" Sokka asked.

"It _is_ you, stupid." Suki said with a laugh. Sokka's scowl melted away and he smiled.

"Oh." He said. He looked into Suki's eyes and she looked back. They leaned closer and closer, and they were about to kiss one another, when a cloud suddenly moved, bathing them both in moonlight. Sokka stopped and opened his eyes, pulling away. "I can't."

Suki opened her eyes and pulled away, "I'm sorry…"

"No, you shouldn't be." Sokka said, walking away from her. Hoshiko watched sadly as Suki walked away, back to the campsite. Hoshiko came out from her hiding place to see Sokka was still staring up at the moon.

"I miss her, too." She said softly, making him jump. He looked and saw Hoshiko, her ears drooped, and a sad appearance to her crystalline blue eyes, she had her hands clasped behind her back as she walked closer to him. She turned to her gaze to the moon, "Yue was always so sweet. She was smart, too, she always knew just what to say." Her fingers began fiddling with her bracelet with the blue plate, the same one she had given Yue for her sixteenth birthday, "Sometimes, she would get these… looks from passersby. I always felt a little jealous for that, but not much. Mostly because Yue is a very beautiful girl, it's only natural a pretty girl gets looks like that. Then I'd remember the first day I met her, then I wouldn't feel so envious."

"What happened on the first day you met?" Sokka asked.

"I found her in an alley with two guys about to rape her." Hoshiko said bluntly, "I helped her get away before they did anything traumatizing." She sat down where Suki had been sitting and Sokka sat next to her.

"Oh." Sokka said, he looked back at the moon, "…I really miss her." He stared down at his hands, "Sometimes, I have dreams about that night. Sometimes, I'll go up with her, other times, she'll rise and I'll fall." He sighed deeply, "I keep going over that night again and again, trying to think of some way to have prevented what happened, but…" He trailed off, unsure of how to continue. Hoshiko reached up and gently smacked the back of his head, "Hey!"

"You didn't know her very well, did you?" Hoshiko said, "No matter what happened, Yue always looked toward the future, it may not have always been in happiness, sure, but she still always looked ahead. Instead of people like me, who always stick to the past." She gently fiddled with bracelet's plate, "And you, too. She'd want you to move on, Sokka. Look towards your future, not stay stuck looking behind you, because," She grinned wryly, "It's pretty difficult to walk backwards." Sokka smirked at her joke. He watched as Hoshiko slid the bracelet off her wrist and held it out to him, "Here, you take it." He looked at it with wide eyes.

"Hoshiko… I couldn't." He pushed it back, "It's yours. You should keep it."

"You _loved_ Yue." Hoshiko said, "This is the only bit of her that you can still touch. It means more to you than it does to me, take it." Sokka stared at the bracelet, seriously considering the option of taking and having the only piece of Yue that was left. He shook his head and pushed it back.

"If she wants me to move forward," He said, reattaching the bracelet to her wrist, "Then I need to let her go, and that means not keeping anything too sentimental. The bracelet is yours, Yue left it behind for a reason. It's yours to keep." Hoshiko smiled and looked down at the bracelet.

"You knew Yue better than I thought you did." She said, putting her hands in her lap, "I guess I should have known better."

"And I guess I should've known that somewhere under all that rudeness," Sokka said with a sly smirk, "That you actually had a sense of humor. Tiny one, though." Hoshiko glared playfully at him and pushed him off the rock he sat on, "Hey!"

"I _still_ don't know what she saw in you." Hoshiko said with a laugh as she stood up. Sokka glared playfully at her and grabbed her tail, yanking her down as well, she let out a yelp and glared at him, "_What_ did I _say_ about my _tail?_!" She pushed his head down and stood up, glaring at him. Sokka saw her glare and grimaced.

"Okay, okay, sorry." He said, "I was just playing."

"In Shinjun culture," Hoshiko began, "Yanking someone's tail is not 'playing,' at least, not in the sense you're talking about."

"Okay, I'm sorry." Sokka said, pushing himself up. Hoshiko still glared at him, "Really, _really_ sorry." Hoshiko huffed out a sigh.

"Fine." She said, "I'm going to bed. Goodnight." She turned and started walking away.

"Goodnight." Sokka muttered, sitting back under the arch.

"Oh, and Sokka?" He looked over at her, "Think about what I said, okay?"

Sokka nodded, "I will. Thanks Hoshi." Hoshiko froze and looked at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"Nothing," Hoshiko said, shaking her head with a small smile, "It's just… It's been a long time since someone called me Hoshi." She nodded at him one last time and headed back to the campsite.

* * *

The next morning, everyone travelled on the path again. Hoshiko noticed that Sokka walked a little closer to Suki than he did yesterday, and he hadn't shown any over protectiveness since she had spoken to him the night before. This thought comforted her as she looked down at Yue's bracelet, thinking of her friend. She was fiddling with it so much, she didn't notice the person in front of her, which was Toph, had stopped walking and she bumped into her. When Hoshiko was about to ask why she stopped, she looked ahead and saw the answer for herself.

The next hundred feet of The Serpent's Pass was under the water, and they couldn't make it across without someone drowning.

Katara, seeing the dilemma, stepped forward and said, "Everyone single file!" In a commanding voice. Everyone did as she had said, being single file behind her as she bent up the water to clear the path. As they got deeper into the water, Hoshiko saw that the water bending was creating a protective air bubble around them. "Aang, I need help!" Aang, seeing that she couldn't hold up the end of the bubble on her own, bent the water around to make the end of the bubble.

Everyone looked around them, never having been underwater without being unable to breathe. Hoshiko licked her lips as she saw a school of fish swim past them, she was tempted to reach out and grab one, but Sokka put his hand on her shoulder. He shook his head no, and she pouted, unhappy at the thought of not eating one of the fish. Momo saw the fish as well and jumped off Toph's shoulder to jump out the bubble to chase after them. He swam past Sokka and Suki and they smiled at his playfulness, Hoshiko scowled.

"Oh, so he gets to go after the fish, but I don't?" She asked with a pout, Sokka scowled.

"If you went after the fish, the bubble would pop." Sokka said, Hoshiko scowled but said nothing in response.

Suddenly, something huge swam past Momo at an alarming speed, scaring him and making him jump back in the bubble on Hoshiko's shoulder. He was quivering in fear and Hoshiko gave him a comforting pat on the head, wondering if he was cold or afraid. Something huge swam past them, and she now understood that he was afraid. Everyone stopped out of fear at the sight of it. They could only see its silhouette, but it had a long snout, resembling a horse's, an incredibly long neck, and a sort of bottle-shaped body.

"What is that thing?" Suki asked, staring at it as it disappeared. Everyone waited with baited breath, wondering if it would return.

It did.

The huge creature swam straight through the bubble, making water pour in from the giant holes it made. Everyone screamed in fear of drowning, but Toph, ever the quick thinker, used earth bending to bring them up to the surface above the water my making a small, stone island. They looked around them as they saw the green and purple spikes of something's back as it swam circles around them menacingly. When the spikes disappeared, its head came up, revealing a huge, purple and green sea serpent. It let out a shrieking cry at the creatures that had dared invade its territory.

"I think I just figured out why they call it The Serpent's Pass!" Sokka said, pointing up at the monster. "Suki, you know about giant sea monsters! Make it go away!"

"Just because I live near the Unagi doesn't mean I'm an expert!" Suki snapped. Sokka backed off and picked up Momo, presenting it to the serpent.

"O great and powerful sea serpent!" He called up to it, "Please accept this humble and tasty offering. Thank you."

"Sokka!" Katara said in an admonishing tone. Sokka flinched and dropped the lemur. The serpent let out another wild cry as it descended upon them, and Aang sent it back with a gust of wind.

He turned to the others, "I'll distract it. Katara, get everyone across!" He opened his glider and flew up to the beast, making it chase after him while Katara bent up a path of ice to the other side. Everyone dashed across it, more than ready to get away from the monster, and once Katara was sure that everyone was going to be alright, she jumped onto the water, making a small iceberg for her to surf across the lake water on and she went to help Aang.

Hoshiko and Sokka turned around when they saw Toph had not moved from her little island.

"Toph, come on!" Sokka called, "It's just ice!" Hoshiko saw her take a tiny step onto the ice, then she shrunk back to her original position.

"Actually…!" She called back, "I'm gonna stay on my little island where I can see!" The sea serpent was pushed back by one of Aang's attacks, and it smashed against the island, Toph jumped off the earth. "Okay, I'm coming!" She carefully and slowly moved across the ice in a sideways walk, arms held out for balance.

"You're doing great!" Sokka called out slowly, "Just follow the sound of my voice!"

"It's hard to ignore." Toph muttered, but only Hoshiko heard it, and she smirked.

"You're almost there!" Sokka said when she was about twenty feet away from them. Hoshiko's eyes widened when she saw the sea serpent being pushed back again, and it landed on the icy path, destroying it. Toph shrieked when she was suddenly forced up and into the water. She splashed around aimlessly.

"Help!" She cried, "I can't swim!"

"I'm comin' Toph!" Sokka called, taking off his shoes to get ready to swim after her, but Hoshiko beat him to it, diving straight into the water, swimming as fast as she could towards the earth bender.

"Help!" Toph cried before she sunk under the water. Hoshiko felt her heart begin to quicken its pace and she swam faster, when she was about where she had started to sink, she took in a big gulp of air and dove down after her. Toph was struggling under the water, limbs flailing around aimlessly, looking for something to grab. Hoshiko reached out and grabbed her under her arms and swam up to the surface. Both of them gasped at the sudden relief of fresh air and took several deep breaths before either of them spoke.

"Oh, Sokka," Toph cooed, "You saved me!" She leaned over and kissed Hoshiko's cheek.

"Actually, Toph," She said, "It's me, Hoshiko." Toph's eyes went wide and her cheeks became dusted a light pink color.

"Oh… Well…" She laughed nervously, then slumped in her arms, "You can go ahead and let me drown now." Hoshiko rolled her eyes with a grin.

"Who knew you could be so melodramatic?" She said as she began to swim back to shore.

"You are never to tell anyone about this." Toph said, "_Ever_."

"My lips are sealed." Hoshiko assured. It only took them another minute to reach the shore and Sokka helped Toph to her feet. Hoshiko pushed herself out of the water and followed the others as they ran up the pathway to safety. Hoshiko looked to see that Katara and Aang were using their water bending abilities to make a giant whirlpool around the serpent, making it spin uncontrollably. When it managed to stick its head out, it bashed its cranium against the wall of the serpent's pass and fell into the water. It swam away, deciding that this particular lot wasn't worth dealing with. Aang opened up his glider and Katara grabbed onto it as they flew up and past the others, who cheered at their victory.

* * *

To say that Hoshiko was relieved when they saw the end of the path was an understatement. She felt overwhelming and incredibly peaceful at the thought that this adventure was finally coming to an end. When they got off the path, she was tempted to kiss the solid, stable earth in joy, but she restrained herself.

Sokka looked ahead of them and saw a huge wall a few miles away, and smiled, "There's the wall!" He exclaimed, pointing it out to the others. Everyone smiled, happy to know that their travels were almost over. "Now it's nothing but smooth sailing to Ba-Sing-Se."

Ying suddenly gasped out "Oh, no!" Holding her swollen stomach, her face contorted to one of pain. Instantly, Tahn was at her side, concern etched across his face.

"What's wrong?" Sokka asked, looking at her.

"The baby's coming!" Ying gasped, Tahn carefully leaned her against a cliff so she could sit down.

"_What?_! _NOW?_!" Sokka exclaimed in worry, "Can't you… hold it in, or something?"

"Sokka, calm down." Katara said, coming up to him, "I helped Gran Gran deliver lots of babies back home."

"This isn't the same as delivering an arctic seal!" Sokka shouted, "This is a _real_… _human_… _thing!_!"

"It's called a _baby_." Katara corrected with a dull look on her face, "And I helped her deliver plenty of those, too." She turned to the others, "Aang, get some rags. Sokka, water." The two boys ran off to get what they were told to, Katara walked over to Toph, "Toph, I need you to make an earth tent. A _big_ one." Toph walked a little closer to where the couple was and bent up five huge slabs of earth over them, "Suki and Hoshiko, come with me." They followed her into the tent, doing whatever they were told to help in the baby's delivery.

* * *

Ying let out quick breaths as Katara prepared her to push. Tahn held onto her hand and Suki held onto the other. Hoshiko stood ready with a few rags for the baby when it was born.

"You're doing great, Ying." Katara comforted, she turned around to the entrance and shouted, "Sokka! Where's that water?" Sokka, hearing the call, began to come in with a pouch in his hands, "Now get ready to push." Sokka entered at this moment and looked over at Ying, "1… 2… 3… Push!" Ying let out a loud groan of pain at the effort, and the baby's head began to crown.

Sokka fainted from the sight. Hoshiko looked down at him in surprise, then picked up the water, giving it to Katara. When she saw it was Hoshiko giving it to her, she looked over and saw her brother lying on the ground, passed out. She let out a groan at the sight of it.

"I got him." Hoshiko said, "You keep helping Ying." Katara nodded and Hoshiko walked over to Sokka, picking him up by his under arms and dragging him out of the tent. Aang and Toph looked over at him in surprise.

"What happened?" Aang asked, looking at his friend.

"He fainted." Hoshiko said, "_Apparently_, Mr. Tough guy here can't handle seeing a baby's head." Toph guffawed aloud at her words, and Hoshiko let herself grin, "Come on, help me elevate his feet. He needs blood flowing back in that noggin."

"There wasn't any before, why now?" Toph asked, Hoshiko laughed, then pulled Toph in for a one-arm hug.

"I love you, Toph." She laughed, picking up Sokka's ankles and setting them on a rock. After a minute, Sokka regained consciousness, and Hoshiko decided it was best for her to stay out where she could keep an eye on him, he insisted he didn't need it, but she didn't listen. He sat down against the outside of the tent and she sat down with him. Aang sat on the opposite side and Toph leaned against the wall.

After a little while of waiting outside the earth tent, a baby's cry was heard. Hoshiko jumped up excitedly at the sound.

"It's a girl!" Katara exclaimed happily.

"So, you wanna go see the baby, or are you gonna faint like an old lady again?" Toph asked Sokka with a grin.

"No, no. I'm good this time." Sokka said quickly, getting up and following Toph into the tent, Hoshiko coming after him. She looked at the sight before her, Ying, holding her baby girl in her arms, Tahn watching over them, looking like the happiest man in the world. She looked around, realizing one member of their group wasn't there. She looked outside and saw Aang still sitting against the tent.

"Aang, you _have_ to see this." She said to him, offering her hand. Aang took it and she pulled him up onto his feet. He followed her inside the tent as everyone gathered around the new mother. The baby made little cooing noises at her mother.

"She sounds healthy." Toph mused with a smile.

"She's beautiful." Katara said, looking at the little girl.

"It's so… squishy-looking." Sokka said, for lack of a better word. Hoshiko looked at him dryly.

"All babies look 'squishy' when they're newborns." Hoshiko said, "It means they're healthy." She leaned down to get a better look at the baby. She looked up to see that Tahn was looking down at his wife with the most loving gaze she had ever seen. She felt a pang of jealousy go through her again, wishing she had that special someone, too. It disappeared though, when she looked back at the baby, and felt only happiness for the new family. She didn't realize that Aang, at the sight of their happiness, had begun to smile for the first time in days.

"What should we name her?" Tahn asked his wife, looking down at his little girl.

"I want our daughter's name to be unique." Ying said, looking at her little face, "I want it to mean something." Hoshiko looked over at Aang, and saw tears welling up around his smiling face. He wiped them away and stepped forward and began to speak.

"I've been going through a really hard time, lately." He told them, "But you've made me… hopeful again."

"I know what I want to name our baby now." Ying said, looking up at her husband, "Hope."

"That's a perfect name." Tahn agreed, "Hope." He gently touched Hope's chubby cheek with his finger and smiled. Aang walked over to Katara and gently tugged on her wrist, she looked at him questioningly and he quietly asked if they could speak outside. They left the tent, and the others followed, letting the couple be alone with their new baby girl. They looked over at Aang and Katara, nobody really being able to make out what they were saying to each other.

"I am suddenly reminded of an old proverb." Hoshiko said, catching everyone's attention, "_'When the mother gives birth, she risks her life. And when the baby is born, everyone around her is blessed'_."

"Where'd you hear that?" Sokka asked, Hoshiko thought about it for a moment.

"You know, I'm not entirely sure." She said, she shrugged her shoulders, "Oh, well." She looked over at Aang and Katara and saw them embracing. They walked over to them, Toph holding up Aang's staff.

"I promise," Aang said, "I'll find Appa as fast as I can, I just really need to do this." Aang took the staff from Toph with a smile, looking more like his old self.

"See you in the big city." Sokka said, putting his hand on Aang's shoulder.

"Say hi to the big fuzz ball for me." Toph said, punching Aang's shoulder.

"Best of luck." Hoshiko said, giving him a thumb's up. Katara walked over to Aang and smiled.

"You'll find him, Aang." She said.

"I know." Aang replied, "Thank you, Katara." He opened up his glider and looked over at Momo as he scurried beside him, his wings out and ready for takeoff, "You ready Momo?" The lemur chirped approvingly and they jumped up into the sky, flying towards the great wall. Everyone waved goodbye as they went off.

After a moment, everyone went to prepare their things for the next couple hours of travel. Hoshiko looked over at Suki as she approached Sokka, her keen ears hearing every word she said.

"Sokka, it's been really great to see you again." Suki began, Sokka looked up at her with wide eyes and stood up to face her.

"Whoa, hold on." He said, "Why does it sound like you're saying goodbye?"

"I came along because I wanted to make sure you got through The Serpent's Pass safely," Suki explained, "But now I need to get back to the other Kyoshi warriors." Sokka slumped over in surprise.

"So… you came along… to protect _me_?" He asked in shock, Hoshiko snorted quietly behind her hand.

"Listen, I'm really sorry about last night." Suki said, "We were talking and… saying things… I just got carried away and before I knew it, I-" Sokka cut her off by pressing his lips to hers.

He pulled away and smiled at her, "You talk too much." He said, Suki smiled and they kissed again, wrapping their arms around each other.

"They're getting _way_ too into it." Toph said with a scrunched up nose as she stared in their general direction. Hoshiko shook her head with a smile.

"I think it's sweet." Hoshiko said, "But I guess we should be moving on." She raised her hand and manipulated Sokka's shadow to make it reach up and tug his ponytail. He yelped in surprise and pain and jumped at the sight of the inky tentacle. "Hey, lovebirds!" They looked back at her in surprise, "We need to get going, so put a hold on the making out!" They blushed and looked away from each other.

After a few minutes, Suki was all prepared to leave and they waved goodbye to each other. She headed to where she knew the ferries would dock, saying it would be safer that way. Everyone headed off in the direction of the wall, ready to get to Ba-Sing-Se and get their message to the Earth King.

* * *

Aang flew over the plains to the wall, he flew up high and landed on it, looking over the city and smiled. He looked back to see the plains and gasped.

Heading for the city, marked with a large Fire Nation emblem, was a giant drill, guarded by ten Fire Nation tanks, five on each side. Aang looked back to Momo sadly, "Sorry Momo," He apologized to the lemur, "Appa's gonna have to wait."


	17. Side story: The Festival of Shinjuko

17

Zuko let out a loud groan as he and his uncle reached land. The ferry ride had been tiring and uncomfortable, but now, he had to sleep on the ground, because there was no way for them to get to the city until sunrise tomorrow. It was far too dark to travel now. Iroh walked up beside his nephew and looked out at the dark expanse of plains before them.

"I suppose we will set up camp." He said with a shrug, Zuko said nothing in response. His uncle started walking to find a particularly comfortable campground for them to rest on. It only took him a moment, finding a spot not too far from a stream. Uncle said he would set out mats for them to sleep on and he suggested that Zuko get the firewood. He reluctantly agreed.

He stalked out to the darker part of the plains, carrying a small torch he lit himself to light his way, picking up different sticks of wood as he did. He saw a light coming up behind him and figured it could only be one person, he sighed.

"I'm getting the wood, Uncle." He said.

"Who're you callin' uncle?" A female voice replied, Zuko whirled around to see who it was and saw a young Shinjun reptilian girl with long blonde hair that went down to her waist, her bangs covering one golden eye, her scales a certain shade of green that sparkled in the light of a lantern she carried on a long wooden pole. She wore a green and pink kimono that looked rather festive.

"Who are you?" Zuko asked, on high alert of the Shinjun.

"Just a scavenger, like yourself." She replied with a smile, showing an armful of wood, "Watcha doing all the way out here?"

"Getting firewood for camp." Zuko replied, returning to his task, deciding to ignore the girl.

"Who's in your camp?" She asked, not leaving him alone and walking closer to him.

"My uncle and me." He replied, "That's it."

"Just you and your uncle all by _yourselves_?" She asked, astonished, "All the way out _here_? In the middle of _nowhere_?"

"Yes." Zuko replied curtly.

"Aren't you going to join the rest of your people?" She asked concernedly, Zuko paused in his gathering and looked up at her.

"What do you mean?" He asked, the reptilian girl pointed to a light shining in the distance.

"All your people are over at the Shinjun encampment." She said, "We invited them to stay there for the night, weren't you there when they announced it?"

"I suppose not…" Zuko muttered, he had left the boat in a bit of a hurry… The girl reached out and grabbed his hand, "Hey!"

"Where's your camp at?" The girl asked, "We can grab your uncle and you can come back with us to the encampment!" She sounded so cheery. Zuko pointed it out and she cheerfully went over to where Iroh was, when she explained why she was here and she wanted them to join the others, he happily agreed.

"Great!" The girl said, "My name is Xana, by the way."

"A pleasure," Iroh said with a bow, "I am Mushi, and this is my nephew." She bowed back.

"Nice to meet you!" She said, and then she turned around, holding up her lantern, "Camp is this way, come on!" They followed her towards the light that was glowing in the distance.

"Miss Xana," Iroh began, "If you don't mind my asking," She looked back at him with an inquisitive look in her golden eyes, "What are you using to light your lantern? It does not appear to be fire."

"Oh, it's not." Xana said, "They're fireflies. We use their glowing butts to help us light up our way at night. They're indigenous to this part of Ba-Sing-Se, and they don't really seem to mind, except when you do this." She shook the lantern, watching the lights dim slightly, but they quickly regained their light again. "We have to catch them before the sun goes down, otherwise we never get the chance."

"I see…" Iroh said, "I've never thought of that before." Xana shrugged carelessly as she kept leading them to the camp.

As they got closer and closer, they saw the light was actually from a huge bonfire, as well as a large assortment on lanterns surrounding the tents the Shinjuns called home. Everyone there was happy and festive, with some cheery music playing to the beat of a drum. All the Shinjuns were dressed in fine and expensive-looking kimonos as they danced around the bonfire, singing out a song that made no sense to anyone but them. There were humans dancing as well, trying to sing the words as well, but no one bothered to correct them if they sang it wrong, because there was nothing wrong with singing out of happiness.

"What's the occasion?" Iroh asked, looking around at all the decorations.

"It's a Shinjun holiday!" Xana said happily, "Every year, we all gather together and sing praises to Shinjuko, the Great Spirit who allowed us Shinjuns to be! We celebrate with singing, dancing, eating, and being as happy as we can to please him!" Iroh grinned happily.

"Sounds like my kind of festival!" He said with a boisterous laugh, and Xana laughed with him. Zuko couldn't care less. He looked out into the crowd of Shinjuns as they passed by him. He had never had anything against Shunjuns, unlike his sister, who thought they were trash, but they sometimes got on his nerves. His eyes widened when he saw a familiar head of white hair.

"Oh, hey!" She said, pointing to him, "There's Kota! He'll set you up with a place to stay for tonight." She put her hand next to her mouth and shouted, "KOTAAAHH!" He turned around and Zuko saw it was the same Shinjun he had met so long ago. He smiled at the reptilian and came over, his eyes travelling to her companions, and widening when they saw Zuko. "I found two more, Kota! Guys, this is Kotaro, he's second in command to the second in command here. Kota, this is Mushi and his nep-"

"Lu Ten!" Kotaro exclaimed at the sight of Zuko. Iroh's eyes widened considerably at the name. Kotaro smiled at the scarred teen, "It's good to see you again, Lu Ten. How long has it been?"

"You know him?" Xana asked in surprise, pointing to Zuko. Kotaro nodded.

"Yeah, I met him a while ago." He said, "I forget the name of the town we were in, but we ended up staying in the same place." He smiled a toothy grin at Zuko, "He's a good guy." Zuko didn't reply.

"When did you meet him, _Lu Ten_?" Iroh asked, straining the name.

"It was when I was travelling alone." Zuko said. Xana smiled.

"Well! Any friend of Kota's is a friend of ours!" She said, "Welcome!" She grabbed their hands, "Come sit over here!" She dragged them over to the epicenter of all the celebration, the bonfire where all the Shinjuns were gathering.

* * *

Zuko sat next to Kotaro, watching the silhouettes of all different Shinjun breeds dance around the fire, singing the same thing over and over again.

_"Lai la-lai la lee lai lai._

_Lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai_

_La-lai lai, lai-lai-la lee la-lai, lai._

_Lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, la-lai!"_

Zuko ate another piece of the meat in front of him as he watched them dance. He sat next to his uncle, next to him sat Xana. The reptilian suddenly jumped up, her arms in the air.

"I have to dance!" She said excitedly, Kotaro laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Then go and dance," He said, gesturing to the crowd, "No one will stop you."

"But I need a partner." Xana said with a pout, she smiled at Iroh, "Mushi, come dance with me!" She reached down and grabbed his hands, pulling him up. Iroh laughed.

"Well, who would I be to deny a dance with a young lady?" He asked with a jovial smile, Xana's smile grew and they twirled into the crowd, dancing in time to the music. Zuko watched them until he could no longer distinguish them from the rest of the crowd, and kept eating.

"You seem so upset." Kotaro said, looking at the incognito prince. Zuko didn't reply and kept eating, "Is it because you were exiled from your country, and have been forced to change your name and appearance, _Prince Zuko_?" Zuko's head shot to the Shinjun's, who took a sip of his drink casually as if he hadn't said anything at all.

"You know?" Zuko asked, Kotaro nodded.

"I happened to overhear your little declaration in the town." He said, he turned to the prince and laughed at his expression of worry and anger, "Don't worry, I'm not going to rat you out."

"How do I know that for sure?" Zuko asked, glaring at the Shinjun, Kotaro smiled softly, looking at the bonfire.

"I saw what you did." He said, "I saw you fight to help that kid. You revealed who you were so you could get him home." He reached down and popped a small piece of fruit into his mouth, "I find that very admirable, even if you _are_ the prince of the nation that enslaved my people." Zuko grimaced at the sound of his voice as he spoke of slavery. His tone had darkened slightly at the mention of it.

"You were one of them, weren't you?" Zuko asked quietly, Kotaro nodded silently, "How did you…?"

"I bought my freedom." Kotaro said, "Took me a little over a year to get it all." Zuko didn't dare ask how much his freedom cost, knowing that he might be insulted that his life was only worth that much to any Fire Nation noble.

The two of them looked up when they saw Iroh and Xana coming back, Iroh limping slightly. He took his seat beside Zuko with a groan. "What happened?" Kotaro asked, looking at the old man.

"His hip gave out or something." Xana said with a pout, Iroh chuckled to himself.

"It seems I'm getting a bit too old for this." He said with a smile, Kotaro shook his head with a smile.

"Oh!" Xana reached down and grabbed Zuko's hands, "Come dance with me, Lu Ten!" Zuko instantly tried to pull his hands away, but she would not let him go.

"No!" He said, "I don't know how!"

"Oh, it's super easy!" Xana replied as she pulled him towards the crowd, "Just move to the beat and keep up with my feet!" She linked her fingers with his and they began to dance. Zuko had to move quickly to keep up with Xana's fast moving feet as they danced. He kept looking down at his feet, trying to make sure he didn't step on hers, and occasionally looked up. Xana was smiling and laughing, singing along to the words that only made sense to Shinjuns and having the time of her life. Eventually, she ordered him to stop looking at his feet and just move in the way he felt was right. He did so, and felt the music flowing through him, and soon enough, he began laughing and enjoying himself just as much as Xana was, but he didn't sing the words to the songs.

After all, he didn't know how.

* * *

Kotaro looked at Zuko as he danced with Xana, a smile on his face as they danced. Iroh sighed contentedly as he watched.

"It has been a long time…" He murmured to himself, looking at his nephew, Kotaro looked over at him confusedly.

"A long time since what?" He asked him.

"Since he has smiled like that." Iroh replied, pointing to Zuko as he and Xana danced, "It has been a very long time." Kotaro smiled.

"Well, I'm glad your nephew could find such joy at our festival." He said, he was about to take a sip from his drink, when someone tapped his shoulder, he looked up to see a boy who looked perfectly human, except for the monkey tail coming out from behind him, and his very hairy hands. "Yes, Uki?"

"She's asking for you again…" He said timidly, Kotaro sighed, getting up.

"Alright…" He groaned, he looked back at Iroh, "Excuse me for a moment." He followed Uki to a tent a bit further from the celebration that was well lit and guarded by another reptilian. He nodded at Kotaro as he came closer and allowed him inside. Uki remained outside, because only one person was allowed inside at a time.

Kotaro walked in and looked sadly at the figure lying on the small mat before him. The person turned their head towards him, showing a pair of crystalline blue eyes.

"It hurts, Kotaro…" The person murmured hoarsely. Kotaro nodded, reaching for a salve near the person's bed.

"I know it does." He said gently, unwrapping a few bandages from around their arm and chest. A little black tail peeked its way out of the covers they lay under, and a pair of black ears twitched at the top of their head, "Bear with me for a moment, Hikari." He rubbed the salve over the large burn marks that littered their body, and they hissed at the feel of it. "Just give it a moment."

"I know…" She murmured. A few minutes passed by in silence as Kotaro kept rubbing the salve over her burns. "I can hear the music outside…" Kotaro looked at her when she spoke, "It sounds so wonderful…" Kotaro looked at her sadly, knowing she was upset because there was a good chance she may never leave the tent for the rest of her life, "How does the food taste?"

"As delicious as it always does." Kotaro said with a forced smile at the woman, "But you know you can't eat any."

"Yes, I know…" She murmured, a few more minutes passed in silence and Kotaro finished, he began re-wrapping her burns as she spoke again, "Have you heard anything yet?"

"No, not yet." Kotaro said, "But Xana says she should get a message back any day now." He smiled at her, "Or, better yet, maybe Hoshiko will come to see us." She smiled.

"That would be perfect." She said, "To see her again after all these years…" Kotaro gently patted down the end of the gauze on her skin.

"I'm done." He said, "Would you like me to keep you company, Hikari?" She slowly shook her head.

"No, I only want to sleep now." She said, "You go out and enjoy the festival some more, I'll just sleep." Kotaro nodded.

"If you say so." He said as he got up, when he got to the tent's exit, he turned back, "Sweet dreams, Hikari."

"Good night, Kotaro." Hikari replied before he left the tent.

* * *

After the bigger part of the celebration had died down, all the Shinjuns gathered around a wooden idol of a woman with large angel wings and a lion's tail. An older man came up next to it, and other than his headband with a small red jewel right over the middle of his forehead, he was dressed as any other Shinjun. All the Shinjuns bowed their heads in prayer as he began to speak. All the humans silenced themselves so they could hear what he had to say.

"Tonight, we celebrate the creation of our people." The man said, "We sing our praises up to Shinjuko, the Great Spirit who created the first of our people. May she hear our prayers and have the grace to answer them." He clapped his hands twice, bowing to the statue in prayer, and the crowd of Shinjuns did the same. After a moment, the man stood back up, taking a stone goblet from a younger man nearby who held it out to him. He held the goblet up high, "Praise Shinjuko!"

"Praise Shinjuko!" The other Shinjuns shouted. When the man took a drink from the goblet and showed them he had drank it all in one go, and the Shinjuns cheered. Music began to play again and people began to dance once more. Kotaro came over to Zuko and Iroh with a smile on his face.

"Having fun?" He asked as he sat down beside them, Zuko didn't move a muscle, and Iroh nodded his head, a weary expression on his face.

"Yes, perhaps too _much_ fun." Iroh said, yawning. Kotaro nodded.

"Then would you like me to find you somewhere to sleep for the night?" Kotaro asked, "We already prepared a few tents for the humans that come by here." Iroh nodded.

"Yes, _please_." He said, Kotaro smiled and helped the old man to stand, Zuko following them as they were led to a small, brown tent designed in the traditional Shinjun manner, with pillows strewn about on the floor to act as cushion in case you fell off the hammocks. Kotaro helped Iroh into one and Zuko got into the one opposite his uncle. Kotaro bid them both goodnight before he left.

When they were both certain he was gone, Iroh turned to Zuko, "Lu Ten?"

"It was the only name I could think of at the time!" Zuko snapped, turning over in his hammock, "Just go to sleep, uncle."

* * *

"It's a shame you have to leave so soon." Xana said as Zuko and Iroh prepared to leave with the rest of their group.

"We need to get to Ba-Sing-Se." Zuko said, "We can't stay here."

"I know." Xana said, "But can you at least come and visit? I bet the soldiers will let you leave for a little bit every now and then…"

"I wouldn't count on it." Zuko said, making Xana pout.

"Oh…" She said, Iroh looked back at her.

"But you are more than welcome to come and visit us!" Iroh said, Zuko sent his uncle a pointed glare, ignoring the way Xana's entire face lit up.

"Oh, can I?" She asked, "That would be so much fun!" She squealed excitedly, "Okay, first chance I get, I'll come and visit you guys!" Iroh nodded.

"We'll keep an eye out for you." He said, he looked to his nephew as they saw some of the other refugees leaving. "Come, nephew." They both followed the crowd out as they went to the wall. A group of Shinjun children and their families came out of their homes to see them off, waving and shouting goodbyes as they left. Zuko chanced a look back and saw Xana waving with the children just as enthusiastically as they were. Next to her was Kotaro, who only waved once when he noticed his stare and smiled. Zuko nodded once at him and kept following the crowd as they left.

Kotaro put his hand down as he watched Zuko leave, still smiling, "It seems our destinies have been entwined." He said to himself, "We'll meet again."

* * *

**Did you like? Some people liked the other Kotaro and Zuko story, so I made another one.**

**Does Zuko seem a little OOC to you? I'm sorry if he was.**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	18. The Drill

**Sorry about the wait, I had this other story that had a lot more reviewers, and that encouraged me to write more chapters instead of writing for this story. If you review, I might be able to write FASTER!**

* * *

18

Hoshiko and the others, along with Tahn and Ying, walked closer to the wall. Although, a certain flying form caught their attention and they looked to see Aang flying towards them.

"Aang!" Katara exclaimed, surprised, "What are you doing here? I thought you were looking for Appa."

"I was." Aang said, "But something stopped me. Something _big_." They followed him to the wall and once there, he and Toph began bending the earth they stood on to bring them up higher and higher along the wall.

"Now, what's so big that Appa has to wait?" Sokka asked, genuinely curious about what would cause Aang to stop looking for his beloved bison.

"That." Aang said, nodding at something in the distance. Everyone looked over and saw a huge drill, along with a huge deployment of Fire Nation tanks, coming towards the city. Everyone stepped off the earth that they had used to climb the wall so they could better see it.

"We made it to Ba-Sing-Se, and we're _still_ not safe." Ying lamented, "No one is!" Tahn gently put his arms around her and their daughter to try and comfort her.

"What are you people doing here?" A voice asked, everyone turned to see a soldier had addressed them. "Civilians aren't allowed on the wall." Aang stepped towards him.

"I'm the avatar." He said, "Take me to whoever's in charge."

* * *

Once again, Hoshiko was amazed at what the name 'avatar' could do. They went straight to the man in charge without any questions or fuss.

The man in charge was rather aged, with a thin moustache and goatee, dressed in an Earth Kingdom general uniform. His name was General Sung.

"It is an honor to welcome you to the outer wall, young avatar." He said with a friendly smile, "But your help is not needed."

"Not needed?" Aang repeated in surprise.

"_Not_ needed." General Sung confirmed. He got up from his desk, "I have the situation under control." He walked around his desk and began to lead them to another part of the wall that looked over the more rural part of Ba-Sing-Se, "I assure you, the Fire Nation cannot penetrate this wall! Many have tried to break through it, but none have succeeded." He smiled as he looked out over the many fields.

"What about when The Dragon of the West attacked the wall?" Hoshiko asked, remembering that little piece from her schooling in Fire Nation history, "_He_ got through."

"W-Well, technically, yes." General Sung said, obviously not expecting the comment, "But…! He was quickly expunged!" Hoshiko raised an eyebrow doubtingly, the general cleared his throat, "Nevertheless, that's why the city is named '_Ba-Sing-Se_', It's the impenetrable city. They don't call it 'Na_-Sing-Se_'!" He laughed a little at his own joke. No one else did, so he explained it, "That means penetrable city."

"Yeah, thanks for the tour," Toph said as the general walked past them, "But we still got the drill problem."

"Not for long!" General Sung said with a triumphant grin as he walked over to a telescope, "To stop it, I've sent an elite platoon of earth benders called the _Terra Team_." He said the name in a gruff voice, as to make them sound more intimidating.

"That's a good group name." Sokka complimented, "Very catchy." Hoshiko rolled her eyes. She walked next to the general as he looked out of the telescope at his earth bending platoon.

"You _do_ realize that drill is made of metal, don't you?" Hoshiko began, "It doesn't matter how 'elite' the earth benders are, metal is metal, and earth can't beat metal no matter how hard you try." She looked out to the Terra Team, and saw that their earth bending attacks had absolutely no effect on the giant drill. "Told you." She was surprised when she saw two forms sliding down the drill and jumping in the middle of the huge group. They fought against the earth benders, and took them down, one by one, with ease. In minutes, the 'elite platoon' was down and destroyed.

General Sung looked up from his telescope with wide eyes, after a moment, he cried, "WE'RE DOOMED!" Sokka reached over and slapped him.

"Get ahold of yourself, man!" He said. General Sung nodded numbly.

"You're right." He said, rubbing the spot Sokka had slapped, "I'm sorry."

"Maybe you'd like the avatar's help _now_?" Hoshiko asked with a grin.

General Sung walked over to Aang, with his head hung low as he whimpered, "Yes, please…"

* * *

Everyone looked out over the wall as the drill came closer to the wall.

"So, the question is," Aang began, "How are we gonna stop that thing?" Everybody looked over at Sokka.

"Why are you all looking at me?" He asked.

"You're the idea guy." Aang said.

"So _I'm_ the only one who can ever come up with a plan?" Sokka asked, he pouted childishly, "That's a lot of pressure!"

"And also the complaining guy." Hoshiko said with a wry smirk.

"That part I don't mind." Sokka said. Hoshiko rolled her eyes.

"Um, excuse me…" A soldier came up to them, bowing nervously, "Our soldiers just returned from the drill, and… Well…"

"Well what?" Toph asked him, "Spit it out."

"We're not sure what's wrong with them." He said, "We'd like the avatar's wisdom to help us know what to do." Everyone looked over at Aang, who shrugged.

"Uh, Katara," He looked over at his water bending teacher, "Why don't you heal them?"

"I'll give it a shot." She said.

* * *

Katara moved the water around one of the earth bender's arm, checking it for injuries.

"What's wrong with him?" General Sung asked, "He doesn't _look_ injured." In truth, he was right. The soldier looked perfectly fine, there was no blood, fresh bruises or new scars of any kind on his body that hadn't been there before.

"His chi is blocked." Katara said, she moved the water into his arm to help it move again.

"Who did this to you?" Hoshiko asked the man as she came over to him, having Katara help him sit up so she could help move his muscles again.

"Two girls ambushed us," The soldier explained as Hoshiko took hold of his arm and began twisting it painfully until a loud _crack!_ was heard, "_Argh_! One of them hit me with a bunch of quick jabs- _Urgh_!" Hoshiko moved her hands away from his now moving leg, and walked over to his other one, "And suddenly I couldn't earth bend, and I could barely move- _Augh_!" Hoshiko got up and walked over to check his back to fix his spinal cord, "And then she cartwheeled away. _Ow_!" He wiggled his toes and fingers around, then he turned back to Hoshiko, "You're very good." Hoshiko nodded once in thanks.

"Quick jabs and cartwheels…" Hoshiko muttered, looking over at Katara, "Sound familiar?"

"Ty Lee." Katara said, "She doesn't look dangerous, but she knows the human body and its weak points." She explained this to General Sung, "It's like she takes you down from the inside."

Sokka gasped, suddenly shouting, "Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!" And he looked like a child who was excited about knowing an answer in school.

"Yes?" Katara asked him, standing.

"What you just said!" Sokka said, pointing to his sister, "That's how we're gonna take down the drill! The same way Ty Lee took down all these big earth benders!"

"By hitting its pressure points!" Toph said.

"Sokka, that's brilliant!" Hoshiko exclaimed.

Aang walked over to the window in the nursing station and looked at the drill, "We'll take it down from the inside."

* * *

The five of them waited outside in the trenches the Terra Team had made in preparation of the drill before their futile attack. Toph turned to everyone.

"Once I whip up some cover, you're not gonna be able to see." Toph explained, "So stay close to me." She jumped out in front of the trench and held out her hands, they shook for a moment, then she used her earth bending to create a gigantic dust cloud. "Run!" She shouted, heading straight into it. Everyone quickly followed her into the cloud. Hoshiko could see why they needed to stay close, without Toph's being able to see by vibrations in the earth, they would be completely lost. They kept running until they came to the side of the gigantic drill. Toph used her earth bending to create a hole in the ground. "Everyone into the hole!" She commanded, Aang and Sokka were the first ones in, followed by Katara and Hoshiko, then Toph, who closed the hole behind them.

"It's so dark down here." Sokka said, commenting on the now pitch-blackness of the hole, "I can't see a thing!"

"Oh no, what a nightmare!" Toph said sarcastically as she earth bended a tunnel for them to travel in.

"Sorry." Sokka said quickly. Toph quickly bended their escape and they climbed out of the ground, seeing that they were directly under the drill. They looked for a way inside, and Sokka was the first to find it.

"There!" He pointed to a small, square opening a few feet away from them. Aang was the first one up, and he used his air bending to make sure he got there. He grabbed onto a low-hanging pipe and held onto it with his knees. He held his hands out for Katara and helped her in, then Hoshiko, then Sokka. Toph didn't move at all. Sokka stuck his head out of the hole and looked at her, "Toph, come on!"

"No way am I going in that metal monster." Toph said, "I can't bend in there! I'll try to slow it down out here."

"Okay, good luck." Sokka said, Aang hopped up into the drill and they snuck down the hall to an engine room with different pipes all over the room. "I need a plan of this machine." Sokka looked all around the room, "Some schematics that show what the inside looks like, then we can find its weak points."

"And just _where_ are we going to get something like that, oh great genius?" Hoshiko asked sarcastically. Sokka pulled out his machete and sliced away at one of the pipes, making steam shoot out of it.

"What are you _doing?_! Someone's gonna hear us!" Aang said, searching the room for anyone who might be coming.

"That's the point!" Sokka said, "I figure a ship this big needs engineers to run it! And when something breaks…"

"They come to fix it!" Katara said.

"Then we'd better hide fast." Hoshiko said, the four of them went behind a corner, listening as heavy footsteps got closer and closer, until a very heavy-set engineer walked past them towards the broken pipe. Katara stepped out from her hiding spot, the man turned around when he heard her footsteps, and she quickly froze the steam around him and the broken pipe.

"Hi." She greeted. Sokka ran up to the man and grabbed the rolled up sheet of paper in his hands.

"This'll work, thanks!" He said over his shoulder as he ran off. Before she ran off, Hoshiko made a face at the man and followed the others up the stairs to an empty room filled with more pipes. Sokka unrolled the paper, which showed a schematic of the drill's inner workings. He looked it over for a moment, analyzing it, "It looks like the drill is made of two main structures." He pointed to the picture of a machine in the middle of the drill, "There's the inner mechanism, where we are now," He pointed to the outside of the drill, "And the outer shell. The inner part and the outer part are connected by these braces. If we cut through them, the entire thing will collapse." Everyone nodded in agreement to the plan and ran off to find the braces.

* * *

It took them a moment to get to the braces without being seen, but they made it. Hoshiko gaped at the size of the braces, seeing as how each one was thick enough for four people to walk on. She knew she shouldn't have expected anything less from the Fire Nation's ingenuity in mechanics, but she was still shocked at the size of the over 100 foot pieces of metal they were going to cut.

"Wow, it looks a lot bigger in person than it does in the plans." Sokka said, "We're gonna have to work pretty hard to cut through that."

"What's with the 'we' stuff?" Hoshiko asked, "Aang, Me, and Katara are going to be doing all the work."

"Look, I'm the plan guy, you three are the cut-stuff-up-with-bending guys." Sokka explained before striking a ridiculous pose, "Together, we're Team Avatar!" Hoshiko sent Katara a dry look, as if to ask 'is he serious?'

"Come on, we better get started." Katara said, the others nodded and walked over to the pipe, "We'll do this side, and Hoshiko, you can do that side." Hoshiko nodded in agreement.

"Okay." She lifted her hands up and the shadows around her came up in inky black blobs, while Katara bended some water out of her pouch, quickly bending it to Aang on the other side, making a very large cut in the metal brace, Hoshiko did the same with her shadows, making a cut that was just as large as Katara's and Aang's. The two water benders went back and forth with the liquid as quickly as they could, and Hoshiko kept shooting shadows through the metal. After five minutes of straight bending, the three of them stopped to take a break, even though they were almost finished.

"Come on, team, don't quit now!" Sokka cheered, "We're-" Tired of hearing the 'we' when he wasn't doing any work, Hoshiko snarled and brought up her shadows in a threatening way, glaring at him and baring her fangs. Sokka flinched, "I mean, _you're_ almost there." Hoshiko turned back to the brace and she and the others began again. After a few more slices, they broke through the brace completely. They waited for their work to take effect, and they saw the brace only slide a few inches. Katara sighed exhaustedly.

"At this rate, we won't do enough damage before the drill reaches the wall." She lamented, catching her breath.

"I don't know how many more of those I have in me." Aang said, collapsing on his behind in exhaustion. They all looked around them when they heard a loud rumbling that shook the entire drill.

"Do you hear that?" Sokka asked excitedly, "We took it down! We better get out of here fast!" Hoshiko looked around her in shock as she ran with the others, there was no way a machine this big could be so affected by the destruction of a single brace!

"Congratulations, crew!" A voice said, Hoshiko looked at the pipes that surrounded the door they were about to go through, hearing the voice come from there, "The drill has made contact with the wall of Ba-Sing-Se! Start the countdown to victory!" The four of them looked to each other sadly. Sokka's sad look suddenly turned to a determined one and he ran towards the cut brace.

"Sokka?" Hoshiko exclaimed in shock, watching as he began to try and push the brace, putting all of his weight on it.

"Come on, brace!" He shouted as he pushed it, "Budge!" Hoshiko sighed and walked over to him, pulling him away from the brace by the back of his collar.

"This is bad." Katara said worriedly, "_Really_ bad."

"We're putting everything we got into busting these braces!" Sokka said, "But it's taking too long!"

"…Maybe we don't need to cut all the way through." Aang said.

"What?" Hoshiko asked.

"Toph has been teaching me that you shouldn't put 100% of your energy into any one strike." Aang explained, "Sokka, take a fighting stance." Sokka took a very poor karate stance, "You've gotta be quick," Aang hooked his foot behind Sokka's ankle, breaking his stance, "and accurate. Hit a series of points," He jabbed different points on Sokka's body, making his arms start to wheel back, "And break your opponent's stance. And when he's reeling back, you deliver the final blow." He hit Sokka's head and sent him down, "His own weight becomes his downfall. Literally."

"So, we just need to weaken the braces instead of cutting all the way through." Katara said.

"Then Aang can go to the top of this thing and deliver the final blow!" Hoshiko said, pointing to the drill's ceiling.

"And _boom_! It all comes crashing down!" Sokka said excitedly.

"Everyone inside that wall," Aang said, "The _whole world_ is counting on us."

"The whole world minus the Fire Nation, that is." Sokka said. Hoshiko rolled her eyes.

They went to another brace, slicing through it, but leaving enough metal for it to still stand without having its own weight bring it down. Then they did it to another brace, and another, and another, and another until they had covered about ten braces on each side of the drill. They were on the final one when Sokka spoke.

"Good work, Team Avatar!" He said, "Now, Aang just needs to- DUCK!" Everyone ducked down as a wave of blue fire soared over their heads. Hoshiko looked up and glared at the sight of Princess Azula and her little posse.

"Wow, Azula, you were right!" Ty Lee said, "It _is_ the avatar!" She smirked at Sokka, purring, "And friends."

"Hey." Sokka said, waving at her. Katara grabbed his shirt collar and dragged him to the exit, Hoshiko following as Aang managed to divert the three girls' attentions. He ran after the group once Azula and her friends had run to try and catch them. They ran down the hallway, and when they reached a fork, Hoshiko, Katara and Sokka went one way, while Aang stopped.

"Guys, get out of here!" He told them, "I know what I need to do." He turned and began running the opposite direction.

"Wait!" Katara called, she took off her pouch and tossed it to him, "You need this water more than I do." They kept running until they reached a wall where a very large pipe that had an opening big enough for them to fit through. Hoshiko read the writing beside it on the wall.

"'Slurry Pipe Line'?" She read, "What the heck does that mean?" Sokka grunted as he twisted open the door. When he lifted it up, they saw a river of light brown guck.

"It's rock and water mixed together." Sokka said, "It _means_ our way out!" Hoshiko grimaced.

"Well, if it's our only way…" She mumbled, Katara stepped up to go in first, and looked very reluctant to do so. Hoshiko looked down the hall and saw Ty Lee and Mai running towards them. "Go!" Hoshiko pushed Katara down and jumped in after her, and Sokka after them. Hoshiko tried to keep her head above the mud as she was swept away with the current. They swam with the mud until they reached the end of the pipe's flow, landing in a very large puddle behind the drill. Hoshiko grimaced at her mud-covered body and tried to shake it off like a wet dog, making Sokka groan in disgust.

"Hoshiko!" He whined, Hoshiko rolled her eyes at him.

"You baby." She said, she looked up when she noticed something pink coming down from the slurry pipe line and saw it was Ty Lee. Katara saw her as well, and stood up, bending the slurry back so that it wouldn't fall, effectively trapping Ty Lee.

"Why don't you try blocking my chi now, circus freak?" She taunted.

"Katara, keep that up!" Sokka said, "The pressure will build up in the drill, then when Aang delivers the final blow, it'll be ready to pop!" Hoshiko stood up and grinned.

"Very nice." She complimented, she looked over at Sokka, "I'll be right back." She ran across the slurry puddle and under the drill, over to where she found Toph still trying to stop the drill with a large rock she had pulled out from the ground. She ran over to her, "Toph, you know as well as I do that if it didn't work then, it won't work now." Toph sighed.

"So what?" She asked, "I can still try."

"I've got a better job for you." Hoshiko said, "It's easier, and it'll help destroy the drill." Toph gripped the rock she had bent up and crushed it. Hoshiko looked at the rubble in mild surprise, and then she looked over at Toph, who was smirking at her.

"I'm in." She said, Hoshiko smirked back.

"Alright, follow me." She said, leading her to the back of the drill. On the way over, they heard Sokka's voice coaching Katara.

"Good technique, little sister!" He said, praising her as if she were five years old, "Keep it up! Don't forget to breathe!"

"You know," Katara began angrily, "I am just about sick and tired of you telling me what to do all day! You're like a chattering hog monkey!"

"_Just bend the slurry woman!_" Sokka shouted, Katara rolled her eyes and bent the slurry so Sokka would fall over.

"I brought help!" Hoshiko said, ending their argument.

"Toph, help me plug up this drain!" Katara said, Toph nodded and planted her feet firmly on the ground through the slurry, taking an earth bending stance and bending the earth half of the slurry back into the drill, completely plugging up the pipes.

"Great, now we just need to wait for Aang to turn the drill into a giant, popped pimple." Hoshiko said, Katara scrunched her nose up in disgust.

"Hoshiko, ew! That's disgusting!" Katara said.

"Well, can you think of anything else that pops that spits stuff out when it does?" Hoshiko asked.

"A water balloon?" Sokka suggested.

"_Thank you_, Sokka." Katara said.

"Yeah, but water balloons are filled with water, not icky muck." Hoshiko pointed out.

"Well, that's true." Sokka agreed. They looked up when they noticed something going up the wall of Ba-Sing-Se. Hoshiko assumed it was Aang, preparing to deliver the final blow. She watched as he shot back down, and a loud creaking sound was heard. A second later, slurry began to shoot up from the front of the drill, then another part of it, then another, and another, until almost every part of the drill was covered in slurry.

"Woo-hoo!" Sokka cheered, seeing it.

"Here it comes!" Toph said, lifting all of them up on an earth tower to avoid the slurry as it came bursting out of the drill.

"See? Like a big zit." Hoshiko said, watching all the muck pour out. She saw Ty Lee come out with the mud and crash into the tower they stood on. Hoshiko smirked at it before looking back at the others, "We better get out of here while we can."

"I couldn't agree more." Sokka said.

* * *

Hoshiko leaned over the wall as she, Katara, Aang, Sokka, and Toph watched the sunset over the former warzone they had just been in.

"I just wanna say good effort out there today, Team Avatar!" Sokka said, breaking their comfortable silence.

"_Enough_ with the Team Avatar stuff." Katara said, "No matter how many times you say it, it's _not_ gonna catch on."

"How about…" Sokka reached back and pulled out his boomerang, "The Boomerang Squad!" Momo, who had been sitting on Aang's shoulder, jumped off in shock from the sudden scare, "See, it's good, 'cause it's got Aang in it. Boomer-_Aang_."

"I kinda like that one." Aang said.

"Let's talk about this on our way into the city." Katara said, everyone agreed and began to walk away.

"The Aang Gang?" Sokka suggested.

"Sokka, no." Hoshiko said.

"The Fearsome Five some!" Sokka said.

"You're crazy." Toph said.

"Why? We're fearsome!" Sokka said.

"Yeah, _we_ are." Hoshiko said, "You? Not so much."

"Hey!" Sokka whined when the others laughed at her joke.


	19. City of Walls and Secrets

19

Hoshiko gazed out the window of the earth train she and the others were riding on, her tail swinging back and forth happily, her ears standing straight up, and her pupils wide in excitement. She had a giddy smile on her face as she sat on her knees in between Katara and Aang.

Sokka smirked, "I thought you said you were a cat, not a dog." Hoshiko turned her head to glare at him.

"Watch it, boomerang boy." She growled, "Cat or dog, I can still kick your ass." Sokka grinned nervously, and backed off as Hoshiko turned her attention back to the window, "Look, the inner wall!" She said, pointing to it as the train came closer. Everyone but Toph, who seemed content petting Momo in her lap, looked out the window to see the approaching wall.

"I can't believe we _finally_ made it to Ba-Sing-Se in one piece." Katara said, Hoshiko nodded in agreement.

"Hey, don't jinx it!" Sokka said quickly, "We could still be attacked by some giant, exploding Fire Nation spoon! Or, find out the city's been submerged in an ocean full of killer shrimp."

"You been hitting the cactus juice again?" Toph asked.

"I'm just saying, weird stuff happens to us." Sokka said.

"That's true." Hoshiko said, turning around so she could sit down on the bench. She looked over at Aang, and saw a sad expression on his face, "Don't worry, Aang. We'll find him."

"It's such a big city…" Aang said.

"He's a _giant bison_!" Sokka said, walking over to them, "Where could someone _possibly_ hide him?" He went in between the two of them to stick his head out the window. They went through the tunnel that led them to the city, and they all gawked at the sight of it. Ba-Sing-Se was an ocean of houses and buildings that stretched on for miles. They all clustered together, reminding Hoshiko almost of a huge valley, only this one was made from green and brown rooftops instead of grass. "Oh."

"Amazing…" Hoshiko gawked.

The earth train pulled up at the station, and they walked off it.

Toph sighed, "Back in the city. Great."

"What's the problem?" Sokka asked, "It's amazing!"

"Just a bunch of walls and rules." Toph said miserably, "You wait. You'll get sick of it in a couple of days." Hoshiko looked over at Aang, who pulled out a bison-shaped whistle. He put it to his lips and blew it.

"I'm coming for you buddy." He said, looking out at the city. Katara looked at him sadly and walked over to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "He's here, I can feel it."

Everyone looked over at the train as it began to leave the station, and they noticed someone on the other side. Hoshiko's eyes widened at the figure, seeing her have an almost unholy smile on her face. She shuddered violently as she walked over to them.

"Hello," She said, "My name is Joo Dee. I have been given the great honor of showing the avatar around Ba-Sing-Se." She smiled that creepy smile at Aang, before turning to everyone else, "And you must be Sokka, Katara, Hoshiko, and Toph. Welcome to our wonderful city. Shall we get started?"

"Yes. We have information about the Fire Nation army that we need to deliver to the Earth King immediately." Sokka said.

"Great!" Joo Dee said in a cheery voice, "Let's begin our tour. And then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you'll like it." Sokka gave her back an odd look as she walked away, then came up behind her.

"Maybe you missed what I said." Sokka said to her, "We need to talk to the king about the war. It's important."

"You're in Ba-Sing-Se now." Joo Dee said, "Everyone is safe here." Sokka gave her a disbelieving look as she walked away, "This way, please."

"Is it just me," Hoshiko began, "Or is anyone else getting the willies from her?" Aang and Toph raised their hands, "Okay, good."

* * *

The group rode along in a carriage through the city. Hoshiko quirked an eyebrow at the walls surrounding the houses that she knew weren't part of the inner wall.

"This is the lower ring." Joo Dee said, gesturing to all the homes.

"What's that wall for?" Hoshiko asked.

"Oh, Ba-Sing-Se has many walls." Joo Dee said, "There are the ones _outside_, protecting us. And the ones _inside_ that help maintain order. This is where our newest arrivals live, as well as our craftsmen, and artisans; People that work with their hands. It's so quaint and lively." Katara gazed out the window to where they saw a man holding up a very large sword and presenting it to another, he noticed their stares and glared at them. Katara winced, "You do want to watch your step, though."

"Why do they have all these poor people blocked off in one part of the city?" Katara asked, looking around.

"This is why I never came here before." Aang said, "I always heard it was so different from the way the monks taught us to live." Hoshiko gazed around the people, noticing something very significant.

"Aren't there any Shinjuns in the city?" She asked, "I haven't seen one since we came here."

"Oh, no." Joo Dee said, "All Shinjuns are in the encampment on the other side of the outer wall. You are currently the only Shinjun within Ba-Sing-Se's walls."

Hoshiko sent her a pointed stare, "Aren't the _other_ Shinjuns allowed in Ba-Sing-Se?"

"No, Shinjuns cause far too much trouble to help Ba-Sing-Se maintain order." Joo Dee said.

"_What?_!" Hoshiko exclaimed.

"_Now_ you've done it." Sokka said.

"As a group, Shinjuns are a very dangerous people." Joo Dee said, ignoring how Hoshiko seethed, "You are allowed within the walls because you alone are not very dangerous."

"Who decided this?" Hoshiko demanded.

"The Earth King manages all decrees towards the public." Joo Dee said.

"I can't _wait_ to see the Earth King, then." Hoshiko grumbled, "Give him a piece of my mind…"

* * *

"This is the middle ring of Ba-Sing-Se." Joo Dee said as the carriage moved into a slightly fancier looking part of town than the lower ring, "Home to the financial district, shops and restaurants, and the university."

"Yeah, we met a professor from Ba-Sing-Se University." Sokka said, "He took us to an ancient underground library, where we discovered information about the war that is _absolutely crucial for the king to hear_!" He got in her face pointedly, Hoshiko noticed how she kept smiling that incredibly creepy smile.

"Isn't history fascinating?" Joo Dee said, she pointed to a building as they passed it, "Look! Here's one of the oldest buildings in the middle ring! Town hall." She had the cart stop and she stepped out, not noticing how everyone else stayed in.

"Is that woman deaf?" Sokka asked, "She only seems to hear every other word I say."

"It's called 'being handled.'" Toph said, crossing her arms, "Get used to it."

* * *

"The upper ring is home to our most important citizens." Joo Dee said, "Your house is not too far from here." Hoshiko looked out at all the extravagant buildings and gates that were part of the upper ring. She looked up as they passed a huge burgundy wall, as did everyone else.

"What's inside that wall?" Katara asked, Hoshiko looked and saw three men in green robes standing at the entrance, they sent cold stares at the carriage as they passed by.

"And who are those mean looking guys in robes?" Sokka asked.

"Inside is the royal palace." Joo Dee said, "Those men are agents of the Dai Lee, the cultural authority of Ba-Sing-Se."

"_Cultural_ authority?" Hoshiko asked, "What's that mean?"

"They are the guardians of all our traditions." Joo Dee explained.

"Can we see the king now?" Aang asked.

"Oh, no!" Joo Dee laughed, "One doesn't just _pop in_ on the Earth King!" Aang groaned and hung his head in frustration.

* * *

"Here we are! Your new home!" Joo Dee said, bringing them to a small, but lovely looking house with an orange roof and stone walls. Joo Dee looked over as a man came running towards her, bowing when he handed her a scroll. She opened it up and looked at the message written on it, "_More_ good news! Your request for an audience with the Earth King is being processed, and should be put through in about a month! Much more quickly than usual."

"A _month?_!" Sokka asked in shock.

"Six to eight weeks, actually." Joo Dee said, giving them a small giggle. The group gawked at her as she started to walk up the stairs to the house, "Shall we take a look at your new home?" Not knowing what else to do, they followed her up the stairs into the house. "Isn't it nice? I think you'll really enjoy it here."

"I think we'd enjoy it more if we weren't staying so long." Sokka said, "Can't we see the king _any_ sooner?"

"The Earth King is very busy running the finest city in the world." Joo Dee said, "But he will see you as soon as time permits." Sokka scowled at her answer.

"If we're going to be here for a month," Aang said, "We should spend our time looking for Appa."

"I'd be happy to escort you anywhere you'd like to go." Joo Dee said with her creepy smile and a bow.

"We don't need a babysitter." Toph said, walking towards the door.

"Oh, I won't get in the way." Joo Dee said, stepping in front of Toph's path, "And to leave you alone would make me a bad host. Where shall we start?"

"…Somewhere with animals?" Katara suggested.

"Like, where, a pet shop?" Hoshiko asked.

Aang shrugged, "Couldn't hurt."

* * *

Their first stop was at a local pet shop in the lower ring. It was filled with pets of mainly avian descent, a few reptiles, and a few cats and dogs. Hoshiko looked over when she heard a cat owl yowl at something, and she saw Momo fly away from its food dish.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't heard anything about a flying bison." The shop owner said, "I didn't even know there _were_ any."

"If someone wanted to sell a stolen animal without anyone knowing, where would they go?" Aang asked.

"Where's the black market?" Sokka demanded, "Who runs it? Come on, you know!"

"Uh…" The owner began to sweat and looked at Joo Dee, who stood silently behind the group with her wide, creepy smile. She slowly shook her head at him, and he gulped, turning his attention back to Sokka, "That would be illegal." The group heard loud chirps and squeals, and the owner frowned, "You'll have to leave now. Your lemur is harassing my sparrowkeets."

Hoshiko looked over at Momo, who was stealing from the sparrowkeets' food dish. She reached over and picked him up by the scruff of his neck, following the others as they walked out of the store.

"So, where do we go now?" Toph asked.

"What about the university?" Katara suggested, "If we're looking for information, that'd be a good place to go. They have a library."

"Then to the university we shall go!" Joo Dee said cheerily, leading them to the carriage.

* * *

Hoshiko looked down at the young student Sokka had decided would give them answers about the sand benders who took Appa.

"Hmm… I've never seen any sand benders or nomads around here." He said, "You should ask Professor Xei, he teaches the class on desert cultures."

"_Right_…" Hoshiko said with a roll of her eyes, "And which one of your professors could we ask about the war with the Fire Nation?" She noticed the student began to sweat, turning his gaze to Joo Dee, who slowly shook her head at him. Sokka noticed this movement and glared at her, and she quickly stopped.

"I-I don't know." The student stuttered, "I'm not a political science student, I have to get to class." He quickly stood up and walked away, his arms full of scrolls.

* * *

Standing on the stairs outside their house, the five kids looked at Joo Dee as she sat in the carriage, preparing to leave.

"Well, I'm sorry no one has seen your bison." She said, Hoshiko thought she didn't look very sorry at all with that creepy smile, "Why don't you go get some rest? Someone will be over with dinner, later." They watched her carriage leave, and Hoshiko sighed.

"Now what?" She asked, turning to the others. She noticed Sokka's gaze was fixed on the house across the street, where Hoshiko saw a man hide behind his door when he looked at them through a window.

"Hey, come with me." He said, they followed him over to the house and knocked on the door. It was opened by an old man dressed in official-looking Earth Kingdom garments. He smiled at them.

"You're the avatar." He said, looking at Aang, "I heard you were in town. I'm Pong."

"Nice to meet you, Pong." Aang said.

"So, Pong," Sokka said, "What's going on with this city? Why is everyone here so scared to talk about the war?"

"War? Scared?" Pong repeated nervously, his eyes shifting, "What do you mean?"

"I can feel you shaking." Toph said bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Look, I'm just a minor government official." Pong said, sticking his head out of the door and looking around, "I've waited _three years_ to get this house. I don't want to get into trouble."

"Get in trouble with who?" Katara asked. Pong quickly shushed her.

"Listen, you can't mention the war here." He said quickly, "And whatever you do, stay away from the Dai Lee." He slammed the door shut, leaving them outside.

* * *

The next morning, everyone sat around the house, having already sent away Joo Dee for the day. Toph was taking advantage of the sweet pastries next to her, eating away. Aang was sulking, sitting down on a railing. Sokka was sitting with his feet up against a wall, his back on the floor. Hoshiko was passing time by playing with Momo, wiggling her fingers near his stomach and pulling them away as soon as he tried to grab them. Her tail swinging back and forth as she did.

"I've got it!" Katara said, running in, holding a pile of papers, "I know how we're gonna see the Earth King!"

"How are we supposed to do that?" Toph asked, she put on a fake smile and said in an imitation of Joo Dee, "One doesn't just _pop in_ on the Earth King!"

"The king is having a party at the palace tonight for his pet bear!" Katara said, looking at the papers in her hands.

"You mean… Platypus bear?" Aang asked, Katara looked over the papers again.

"No. It just says 'bear'…" She said.

"Certainly, you mean his pet skunk bear." Sokka said.

"Or his armadillo bear." Toph said.

"Gopher bear?" Hoshiko asked, taking her attention away from the lemur.

"Just… bear." Katara said with a shrug. There was a beat of silence among the group.

"This place is _weird_." Toph said.

"The palace will be packed." Katara continued, "We can sneak in with the crowd!"

"Won't work." Toph said, leaning back against the pillows.

"Why not?" Katara asked.

"Well, no offense to you simple country folk," Toph began, reaching for another pastry, "But a real society crowd would spot you a mile away. You've got no manners." She took a huge bite out of the pastry.

"Excuse me?" Katara scoffed, "_I've_ got no manners? You're not exactly _Lady Fancy Fingers_."

Toph let out a small belch, "I learned proper society behavior and _chose_ to leave it." She said, tossing the pastry away and Momo jumped up to catch it, then ran away with it and hid under the carpet, "You never learned anything. And, frankly, it's a little too late."

"_Ah-ha_! But you learned it!" Sokka said, "You could teach us!"

"Yeah, I'm mastering every element," Aang said, "How hard can manners be?" He stood up and pulled a curtain down, wrapping it around his shoulders like a cape. He stood up straight, pretending to be an aristocrat. "Good evening Mister Sokka Water Tribe," Sokka smirked at his stuffy greeting, "Miss Katara Water Tribe," Katara smiled in mirth, "Lady Hoshiko of the Shinjun Tribe," Hoshiko snickered behind her hand, "Lord Momo of the Momo Dynasty." Momo stuck his head up from underneath the carpet when his name was mentioned, "Your Momo-ness." Hoshiko laughed aloud when he bowed to Aang. Sokka stood up and pulled down another curtain, wrapping it around his shoulders like Aang did.

"Avatar Aang, how you _do_ go on." Sokka said in a phony-fancy voice. Aang bowed to him, and Sokka bowed deeper back to him, Aang bowed deeper than he did, and Sokka bowed so far down, his face was touching his knees. They bowed again, and hit their heads against each other's and fell over. Hoshiko laughed at their expense.

"Katara and Hoshiko might be able to pull it off," Toph said, standing up, "But you two would be lucky to pass as bus boys."

"But I feel so fancy." Sokka said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"You sure don't look like it." Hoshiko said with a smirk, Sokka scowled at her. Toph gestured for her to stand up.

"Come on," She said, "We got some fancyin' up to do with you two." Hoshiko stood and followed Toph as they left the room.

* * *

"Ow!"

"I'm sorry!"

"You trying to rip it out?"

"Well, if you just held still-!"

"That's kind of difficult when you're pulling it every direction possible!" Hoshiko snapped to Katara as she tried to style her hair. Earlier, they had gone out and gotten the proper clothes to wear to the King's party.

"Well, if your hair wasn't so short, it might be easier to style!" Katara snapped back, clenching her black hair in her hands. Hoshiko sighed and looked back to the vanity sitting in front of her.

"It's not my fault my hair doesn't grow fast." She grumbled, grimacing when Katara tried to pull it up.

"I know, I know…" Katara muttered, she sighed in exasperation and released Hoshiko's abused locks, "I just can't get it to do anything."

"You could just pin it up like I suggested the first time." Hoshiko said pointedly.

"Fine." Katara said, reaching over to the vanity desk and pulling off the brush and a small, white hairclip. She gently brushed it up, and Hoshiko sighed in relief at the painlessness of it. "What do you think the king will look like?"

"Well, King Kuei's only been on the throne since he was our age." Hoshiko said, looking at her through the vanity mirror, "And that was a while ago, so I assume he's somewhere in his late twenties, early thirties. It shouldn't be too hard to spot him out of the crowd."

"I guess." Katara said, clipping Hoshiko's hair up, "There. That's one task accomplished. Now we just have to work on hiding your ears."

"Whoa, what?" Hoshiko demanded, her hands instantly going to cover her ears in protection, "When did I agree to this?"

"Hoshiko, you heard what Joo Dee said," Toph said, pulling the sleeves of the dress up, "There aren't any Shinjuns in the city. If you show up with your ears up, people will get suspicious." Hoshiko scowled.

"Fine." She said, turning around and letting Katara do the work she needed to hide her ears. She saw her reach for another pair of clips, "This isn't going to hurt, is it?"

Katara paused, thinking for a moment. "I hope not." She said, "Put your ears down." Hoshiko did so and grimaced when Katara clipped her ears to her hair. "There, that should do it."

"Great." Hoshiko groaned as Katara set the finishing piece on her hair to make her look like any other aristocratic woman and putting a white flower in her hair.

"Now, we need to do the make-up." Katara said, Hoshiko sighed.

"_Oh_, it's gonna be a _long_ night…"

* * *

It was dark by the time the girls had finished getting ready, Hoshiko walked to the main room of the house before Katara or Toph, wearing an elegant purple and white dress. Her tail was hidden as a black belt around her waist, and her ears stayed down from the clips. She noticed the room was silent and she looked to see Aang and Sokka gaping at her. She frowned and turned to them, planting her hands on her hips.

"What?" She asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"_Hoshiko_?" Aang asked in shock, his eyes widening.

"Duh, who else?" Hoshiko asked, crossing her arms.

"You look… different." Sokka said, for lack of a better word, "Like… human."

Hoshiko groaned, "I _know_. Apparently, I have to hide the fact that I'm a Shinjun, or people will get suspicious. It sucks."

"You make a pretty hot human…" Sokka said, Hoshiko looked at him in shock, and his face flushed, "Did I just say that out loud?" Hoshiko and Aang nodded slowly. Sokka cleared his throat and looked away, "Well… You do. Just saying."

"Oh…" Hoshiko murmured, thankful that the make-up she was wearing could cover up the blush she was already wearing, "Thanks, Sokka."

"Yeah." Sokka said shortly, he turned back to Aang, "So, where were we?"

"Oh, right." Aang said, the two raised their fists and began to play 'Earth, water, fire'.

"1, 2, 3,"

"Fire!" Sokka said, opening his palm and wiggling his fingers.

"Earth!" Aang said, showing his fist. Sokka groaned at his defeat and Aang raised his arms in victory. Sokka grimaced as Aang leaned forwards and flicked his forehead. The doors to the room next to them opened and showed Toph and Katara, fully dressed in their fancy clothes. Katara wore a green dress, and Toph wore a white one. They both hid their faces behind their fans, then giggled.

"Wow, you look beautiful." Aang said, a small blush on his cheeks as he stared dreamily at Katara. Sokka noticed this and reached out, flicking Aang's forehead. Katara opened her mouth to say something, but Toph put her fan out over her mouth, making sure she didn't.

"Don't talk to the commoners, Katara." She said, "First rule of society." Hoshiko smirked and walked with the two girls as they began to leave.

"We'll get into the party, then find a way to let you in through the side gate." Katara said to Aang and Sokka as she walked out the door. Hoshiko smiled at the two, waving.

"Later, boys!" She said cheerily, following Katara out.

* * *

The girls waited patiently in line as they moved with the people to get inside. When they came up to the guard at the front, he said "Invitations, please."

"I think this will do." Toph said, pulling out her Bei-Fong passport.

"No entry without an invitation." The guard said stiffly, "Step out of line, please."

"Look," Toph began angrily, "The Pangs and the Yum-sun-hons are waiting in there for us. I'm gonna have to tell them who didn't let me in."

"Step out of line, please." The guard repeated, pointing them away. They moved out of line, a little downcast since they couldn't get in. Hoshiko looked up and saw a man in green robes stepping out of an ornate-looking carriage. She smirked as a plan came to mind, and she put her hands on Katara and Toph's shoulders.

"Follow my lead." She whispered to them as she pushed them toward the man. "Excuse me, sir?" She called to him, getting his attention. The man looked to be somewhere between his early and mid-forties, with the noble Earth Kingdom style braid on his head, and a small moustache and goatee. He looked over at them as Hoshiko bowed respectfully, "I'm so sorry to bother you, but could you help us? My little sister here lost our invitations," She leaned up and whispered, "She's blind." She pulled back and put her hand on Katara's shoulder, "Could you help us inside? It's not very often we get to see our cousins and our aunt and uncle, and I'm sure they're very worried about us."

The man smiled kindly, "I am honored." He said, "Please come with me." They followed him over to the guard, and he bowed to the man, allowing him and the girls through. As they passed by the guard, Katara, Toph, and Hoshiko all made faces at his back as they walked into the main hall.

It was extravagant, with all kinds of different green lanterns hanging from the ceiling on long lines. Hoshiko saw the hall was filled with hundreds of people of aristocracy, with the clothes and stiff upper lips to prove it. In the middle of the hall was a long table covered in the finest and most expensive food that Hoshiko had ever seen, and at the end of it sat a big, brown bear with a green shirt and a hat tied onto its head. It ate every piece of meat that it saw, and she felt a good amount of pity for the two men sitting next to it. After all, the bear was taking all the good stuff.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" The man said, gazing around at the hall's decorations, "By the way, I'm Long Feng. I'm a cultural minister to the king."

"Uh, I'm Xiao Mao." Hoshiko gestured to herself, "And this is my cousin, Quoi Mei, and my sister… Dung." Toph scowled and yanked at the clip on her ear, making her wince.

"Now, where is your family?" Long Feng asked, looking around the room, "I'd love to meet them."

"Uh, I don't see them right now," Katara said, looking around like he had, "But I'm sure we'll find them soon." Hoshiko took Toph's arm and they began to walk away from him, "Thanks for all your help." They went further into the hall, looking around for the side gate to try and find a way to sneak in Aang and Sokka, but were surprised when Long Feng suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Don't worry," He said comfortingly, "As your escort, it would be dishonorable to abandon you ladies without finding your family first." He turned around and gestured for them to follow him, "We'll keep looking."

The three of them spent the rest of their time trying to ditch Long Feng so they could find Aang and Sokka, but it never seemed successful…

* * *

Aang looked around the grand hall, he and Sokka dressed in busboy uniforms (Which they had used to sneak in). Aang carried a pot of tea for everyone, and Sokka carried around a tray of crab puffs. Once Aang had finished topping someone off, he looked over at Sokka.

"Where are the girls?" He asked him quietly.

"Forget about them," Sokka said, "Just keep an eye out for the king." He looked at Momo's tail (Who was hiding under Aang's hat, and his tail was used for fake hair) as it went up.

"I don't know what he looks like." Aang said worriedly. Sokka glared at Momo's wagging tail.

"You know," He reached up and grabbed it, squishing it painfully and pushing it back down, "Royal, flowing robe, fancy jewelry." Aang looked around at the crowd again.

"That could be anyone." He said, seeing everyone dressed in royal, flowing robes and wearing fancy jewelry.

"Another crab puff, please." A familiar voice said. The two boys turned, Sokka presenting her with the crab puffs, and saw Toph.

"You found us!" Aang said happily.

"I'd know your little footsteps anywhere, Twinkle Toes." Toph said, taking a crab puff from the tray and eating it. Katara and Hoshiko quickly walked up next to her.

"Thanks for letting us in." Sokka said sarcastically to them.

"Sorry," Hoshiko said quickly, "But the guy who escorted us in will _not_ let us out of his sight!"

"What guy?" Sokka asked, looking behind them. Hoshiko turned as well, and saw no one. Hoshiko did the same and saw that Long Feng had disappeared. She hummed thoughtfully, uneasy at his sudden absence.

"What are you doing here?" The five of them looked over and saw Joo Dee coming towards them, looking worried, but still having that smile on her face, "You have to leave immediately, or we'll all be in terrible trouble!" She went to push Sokka away, but he stopped her by placing the tray between them.

"Not until we see the king!" He said determinedly.

"You don't understand." Joo Dee said quickly, "You must _go_!" She pushed Sokka, making him stumble back and hit Aang, which caused the tea from the pot to splash out and onto some poor woman, who screamed. She glared at Aang and he grimaced.

"Sorry!" Aang said quickly, "Don't shout!" He lifted up his arms and legs to give the woman a quick air bending blow-dry. When she was dry, her clothes stuck in that windblown position, as did her hair, and ruined make-up. He smiled apologetically at her state.

"The avatar!" The woman gasped, "I didn't know _the avatar_ would be here!" People began to take notice of Aang, amazed that the avatar had come to a party for a pet bear. Hoshiko looked over at Joo Dee, and saw her creepy smile finally fall. She couldn't help but grin at the unhappy look on her face. Aang blushed at the attention, and waved awkwardly at the people.

Sokka slid up next to him and whispered in his ear, "You keep their attention while I look for the king."

"Watch this everybody!" Aang said, jumping out of the busboy uniform and landing on the table. Everyone watched in awe as he bent up the drinks from different cups and created a watery ball of multiple colors, making it spin around above his head as he did a hand-stand trick on the table. Everyone 'ooh'ed and 'ahh'ed appreciatively and applauded his talent. Even the king's bear was getting into it. All the while, Sokka was scurrying around the room, looking for whoever could be the Earth King.

After a few minutes, a loud gong was heard over and over as some majestic music played. Hoshiko looked over at where a group of Dai Lee soldiers was carrying the king's palanquin over to the head of the table, where many people were already sitting. Hoshiko tried to see his face, but instead, could only see his silhouette. He was hiding behind a veil that went all the way around the palanquin.

"Aang!" Sokka hissed, "The Earth King!" Aang looked over and saw the palanquin. He stopped spinning the giant water ball and put the drinks back in the cups before bending up an air scooter and riding it, heading for the head of the table.

"Greetings, your majesty!" He said cheerily, as many people moved food and drinks out of Aang's way as he traveled up to the head.

Sokka watched as the soldiers suddenly began to move the palanquin away from the table. Determined to get his chance to speak to the king, Sokka began running towards it. He was stopped by two Dai Lee soldiers, who grabbed his arms tightly and held his hands together with earthy handcuffs. Sokka squirmed the entire time, demanding that they let him go. Another Dai Lee soldier, who was hiding behind some of the building's walls, threw out their hands towards Toph. Their earth gloves kept going, and one hand went around Toph's mouth, while the other pulled her back to the soldier, who dragged her away. Two other guards did the same to Katara and Hoshiko. By the time Aang had reached the head of the table, they had disappeared from the room, and a man came out from behind the soldiers to speak to him.

"Avatar, it is a great honor to meet you." He said, bowing towards Aang, "I am Long Feng, Grand Secretariat of Ba-Sing-Se and head of the Dai Lee. I'd like to talk to you. Your friends will be waiting for us in the library." He walked towards the library and Aang, confused about the situation, followed him.

* * *

Long Feng sat before the five kids in the library, all of them freed from the bonds the Dai Lee had previously held them in.

"Why won't you let us talk to the king?" Sokka demanded, "We have information that could defeat the Fire Nation!"

"The Earth King has no time to get involved with political squabbles and the day-to-day minutia of military activities." Long Feng answered.

"This could be the most important thing he's _ever_ heard!" Aang said.

"What's 'most important' to his royal majesty is maintaining the _cultural_ heritage of Ba-Sing-Se." Long Feng said, "All his duties relate to issuing decrees on such matters. It's _my_ job to oversee the rest of the city's resources, _including_ the military." He said the last sentence with an arrogant smirk on his face.

"So the king is just a figurehead…" Katara murmured in shock.

"He's your puppet!" Toph snapped.

"Oh, no! No!" Long Feng said, "His majesty is an icon! A _god_ to his people. He can't sully his hands with the hourly changes of an endless war!"

"But we found out about a solar eclipse that will leave the Fire Nation defenseless!" Sokka said, "You could lead an invasion-!"

"Enough!" Long Feng said, abruptly standing up, "I don't want to hear your ridiculous plan!" Sokka looked at him in surprise at his sudden refusal, "It is the strict policy of Ba-Sing-Se that the war not be mentioned within the walls. Constant news of an escalating war would throw the citizens of Ba-Sing-Se into a state of panic. Our economy would be ruined. Our peaceful way of life, our traditions, would disappear. In silence, in talk of conflict, Ba-Sing-Se would remain a peaceful, orderly utopia. The _last one on earth_." He grinned when he said this.

"You can't keep the truth from everyone in the entire city! From all those people!" Hoshiko said, "They _have_ to know!"

"I'll _tell_ them!" Aang said, stepping forward, "I'll make sure everyone knows!"

"Until now, you've been treated as our honored guest," Long Feng said, stepping towards Aang, "But from now on, you will be watched every moment by Dai Lee agents. If you mention the war to anyone, you will be expelled from the city." He turned around and walked back to his seat, but didn't sit down. "I understand you've been looking for your bison." He turned his head to Aang when he said this, "It would be quite a shame if you were not able to complete your quest." Everyone glared at him, thinking _He knows something!_ Long Feng sat down again, "Now Joo Dee will show you home." The doors opened and a woman walked into the room, bowing to them.

"Come with me, please." She said in a respectable tone. Everyone gawked at the woman.

"What happened to Joo Dee?" Katara said, gaping at the woman. She was dressed in Joo Dee's clothes, with the same hair style and make up, but it was _not_ the Joo Dee they met. The Joo Dee they met had long, brown hair and dark brown eyes. This Joo Dee had short black hair with squinty, light brown eyes, and was a good inch shorter than the other Joo Dee.

"I'm Joo Dee." The woman said, wearing the same smile as the other Joo Dee, "I'll be your host as long as you're in our wonderful city."

Hoshiko felt chills run down her spine.


	20. The Tales of Ba Sing Se

20

Hoshiko was awoken by the sound of scratching on her door. She sleepily raised her head and went to the door. When she opened it, she found Momo looking up at her. He let out a squeak, cocking his head to the side as if to ask 'Are you awake now?' Hoshiko sighed and picked up the lemur, putting him on her shoulders as she walked out of her bedroom. She walked outside to where the water pump was and put a bucket underneath it. She filled it with the water from the pump, then carefully carried the bucket to the bathroom. She filled the tub with the liquid, and looked at how much she had put in. Deciding it was enough to get herself clean, she opened up the door to the spot beneath the tub and saw a few logs were already there. She struck a match and lit the fire, then she shut the door. While waiting for the water to warm up, she got some soap from underneath the counter top and some shampoo. When she got back, she found the water was warm enough and stepped in, giving herself a quick bath.

Momo stuck his paw into the water while she was bathing, and started scrubbing himself clean. Hoshiko smiled at him, seeing that the only reason he woke her up was so he could bathe himself. While scrubbing her hair with shampoo, she noticed Momo trying to copy her, his paws rubbing back and forth against his head like her hands were on her own head. She laughed at the lemur's antics. When her hair was nice and sudsy, she held her breath and dipped her entire head underneath the water. She didn't hear the bathroom door open, or see Sokka come in, carrying his own bucket of water. He looked at the tub and was surprised to see it already filled with sudsy water. Deciding it was because someone was careless and didn't drain the tub, he went over to start draining it. It was at this moment, Hoshiko stuck her head out of the water. Sokka yelped in surprise and Hoshiko covered her chest on instinct at the sound of his voice.

"_Sokka_!" She squealed, hiding her body beneath the water, her face flushing red.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Sokka said quickly, scrambling to get out. He slammed the bathroom door behind him and Hoshiko sighed, leaning back against the tub. She dragged her hand down her face, and looked at the lemur, who looked back with his wide, green eyes.

"Do you think he saw anything?" She asked him, Momo replied with the typical squeak, "Yeah, I hope not."

* * *

Hoshiko walked out of the bathroom, completely dressed in new clothes. Sokka was waiting outside for her. He instantly jumped up, and opened his mouth to give an explanation, but Hoshiko held up her hand.

"I don't want to hear it." She said, "Just promise me you'll knock next time you try to go in a bathroom." Sokka nodded quickly, "That's all I need to know." She walked away from him, leaving him alone.

* * *

Hoshiko looked up when she saw Katara walking down the hall, "Morning Katara."

"Good morning, Hoshiko." Katara said, "Where are you off to?"

"Oh, nowhere." Hoshiko said with a shrug, "Where's Toph?"

"Actually, I was just about to wake her up." Katara said. She turned to Toph's bedroom door and gasped at Toph's disheveled state inside. "Toph, aren't you gonna get ready for the day?" Toph slowly sat up and looked at the two girls at her door. Hoshiko laughed at Toph's hair, which was sticking up all over the place. She hacked up some spit and shot it into a spittoon near her bed, which hit it with a loud _clang!_

She stood up and wiped a little dirt off her clothes, "I'm ready." She said.

"You're not gonna wash up?" Katara asked, looking at her.

"Yeah, you probably should." Hoshiko said, "You got a little dirt on your…" She looked her up and down, "Everywhere, actually."

"_You_ call it dirt," Toph said with a pleased smile, "_I_ call it a healthy coating of earth."

Katara hummed thoughtfully, "You know what we need?" She asked, "A girl's day out."

"Ooh! Yeah!" Hoshiko said eagerly.

"Do I _have_ to?" Toph moaned.

"Oh, come on, Toph." Hoshiko said, "It'll be fun!" She grimaced, "Hurry and get dressed, I know _just_ the place to go."

* * *

Hoshiko and Katara looked up happily at the spa Hoshiko had led them to.

"The fancy Lady Day Spa?" Toph grumbled, her shoulders slumped, "Sounds like my kind of place."

"Are you ready for some serious pampering?" Katara asked her.

"Sure, Katara… Whatever you say." Toph said, "As long as they don't touch my feet." The three girls walked into the spa.

* * *

Hoshiko let out a pleasant sigh as the woman massaged her feet, giving her a pedicure. Katara relaxing as well as she got the same treatment. Hoshiko stole a glance over at Toph, and grimaced slightly when she saw two women were holding her down as another woman used a pumice stone on her feet. She winced as she saw Toph get one of her arms free and slam one of the women away from her with earth bending.

* * *

Hoshiko, Katara, and Toph lay back contentedly in their mud baths, their faces covered in an organic, mineral face cream. Hoshiko looked over at Toph when she sighed happily.

"Now _this_ is my kind of pampering." She said, Hoshiko giggled.

"I bet." Hoshiko said.

One of the spa's employees came over to them, offering them towels. Toph, deciding to have a little fun, used her earth bending to lift up the cucumbers over her eyes and the face cream around her mouth to make her look like a monster. The woman screamed when she saw this and ran off. Hoshiko and Katara laughed at her reaction. Toph laughed, too, undoing the earth bending trick.

* * *

The three girls lay back serenely in the sauna room. Hoshiko looked up when Toph slammed her foot down, causing another one of the hot rocks to jump into the middle of the room. Katara used her water bending and poured a stream of water on them. They sighed as steam filled the room once more.

* * *

Hoshiko smiled as she, Katara, and Toph walked back home from the spa, their faces covered in make-up.

"Well, that wasn't so bad." Toph said, "I'm not usually into that stuff, but I actually feel… girly."

"I'm glad." Katara said, "It's about time we did something fun together."

"Best day in Ba-Sing-Se yet." Hoshiko said, the girls nodded in agreement.

As they walked over a bridge, three other girls passed them. Hoshiko guessed from their clothes that they were from the upper ring.

"Wow, great make-up." One girl complimented Toph.

"Thanks." Toph said.

"For a clown!" She added on, making the other girls laugh in squealish tones. Hoshiko and Katara scowled at the three girls.

"Don't listen to them." Katara said, putting her hand on Toph's shoulder, "Let's just keep walking."

"I think she looks cute." One girl said, "Like that time you put a sweater on your pet poodle monkey!" The girls laughed again, and Hoshiko's scowl deepened.

"Good one, Star!" The third girl said.

"Bitches…" Hoshiko muttered.

"Let's go, Toph." Katara said.

"No, no, that _was_ a good one!" Toph said, turning around to the girls, "Like your poodle monkey! Ha, ha! You know what else is a good one?" She pushed her hands out and made the bridge beneath them disappear, making them land in the river below. Hoshiko and Katara came up to the hole with smirks on their faces.

"Now _that_ was funny." Katara said, Hoshiko lifted up her hands, making the shadow from the bridge rise up and form into a little demon with a terrifying hiss, making the girls scream. Katara lifted up her hands and caused a huge wave in the river to send the girls racing downstream.

"Nice!" Hoshiko said, giving Katara a high-five. They looked back over to Toph and were surprised to see her walking away. They ran to catch up with her.

"Those girls don't know what they're talking about." Katara said as she came up next to Toph.

"It's okay." Toph said, "One of the good things about being blind is that I don't have to waste my time worrying about appearances. I don't care what I look like. I'm not looking for anyone's approval. I know who I am." She stopped walking and Hoshiko noticed her eyes welling up in tears.

"That's what I really like about you Toph." Hoshiko said, putting her arm around her shoulders, "You're so strong, and confident, and self-assured. I mean, you never deal with insecurities, I can't tell you how lucky you are to be like that." Toph sniffled and wiped her nose, "And I know it doesn't matter, but, you're really pretty."

"I am?" Toph asked, lifting her head some.

"Yeah, you are." Katara agreed, Toph smiled and started walking again. Hoshiko and Katara came up next to her.

"I'd return the compliments, but I have no idea what either of you look like." Toph said, Hoshiko and Katara laughed at her joke. "Thanks, guys." She reached up and punched both of them in the shoulder.

"Ow." Katara muttered, rubbing the spot she hit. Hoshiko rubbed the spot she had hit as well, but didn't say anything.

"Love taps, huh?" She said, "Probably should have seen that coming." Toph and Katara laughed. Hoshiko looked over as they passed by part of the shopping district, "You guys go on ahead. I'll be back soon."

"Where are you going?" Katara asked, Hoshiko shrugged.

"I think I'm just going to look around here for a bit." She said, "I'll meet you back at the house."

"Okay, then." Katara said, "Have fun." Hoshiko nodded and walked into the shopping district.

* * *

Hoshiko reached her arms up high as she stretched them, before lowering them and letting her hands rest behind her head as she walked around the streets of Ba-Sing-Se. She walked by various shops and stands through the streets, gazing at some of the things they had to sell. She walked by a figurine stand, and stopped. She looked down at a small, jade figurine of a human man and Shinjun woman, their hands holding each other's, behind them stood a beautiful rose. She looked at it sadly, remembering Kotaro.

"If this is for a romantic gift," A voice said, "That would be an excellent choice." Hoshiko stood up straight and looked at the man, who was clearly the shop's owner.

"No, I was just admiring it." She said, "Did you make these?"

"Every one that you see here." He said, gesturing to all the figurines in the shop, "That one there's a personal favorite of mine." He pointed to the figurine she had been gazing at, "I was inspired to make it when I heard a man's story about the love of his life."

"Would you mind telling me this story?" Hoshiko asked him politely, the man smiled.

"Certainly, here," He reached behind a desk and pulled out a stool, "Take a seat." Hoshiko smiled and sat down as the man pulled up another chair for himself, "Now let's see… It was about thirty years ago, long before you were born, that this man left his village to see the world. This was the first time he had ever left the village, and he was excited to see every part of the Earth Kingdom. But, it was his first time traveling, and he was unprepared for the world around him. Eventually, he ran out of food, and soon, out of water. He simply lay on the ground, too tired and too hungry to move, he stared up at the sky, thinking 'Is this how I'm going to die?' Just when he was about to pass out, a face came into his line of sight, and in his state, he thought it was the face of an angel, coming to take him to the afterlife. He thought that since the angel was beautiful, he would be happy to go to the afterlife with her. Then, he blacked out. When he awoke, he found himself in a small tent, lying on someone's bed. Someone came in, and the man was surprised to see his angel there, when in truth, she was a young tigress Shinjun with long white hair, and sparkling blue eyes. She introduced herself as Mu Laohu, and told the man that she had found him on the side of the road, underfed and dying of thirst.

She gave him food and drink, and scolded him, telling him he should have been more careful when travelling alone. They spoke of many things together while she carefully nursed him back to health, for, you see, it's not smart to eat as much food as you could get your hands on when you've starved." Hoshiko nodded in agreement, listening intently as the man continued, "They spoke of the man's family, and the woman's family, and their likes and dislikes. The more time they spent together, the more the man came to love Mu Laohu, and the more she came to love him. When the man was fully healed, she sent him away, but he always returned, wanting to speak to her more and more. After ten years of speaking to one another, they confessed their love for each other, and decided to get married. But neither of the families approved of the marriage, for the woman's family hated humans for enslaving their people, and the man's family thought of Shinjuns as horrible creatures. Deciding that they would be better off without their families' approval, they eloped to another city, where they would be free from their families' prejudice."

"And they lived happily ever after, right?" Hoshiko asked, the man shook his head.

"Not quite so." He said, "You see, while they loved each other, they are not compatible as husband and wife. Mu Laohu was weak, and very sickly. When they conceived, it was the happiest day of their lives. But when the child was born, Mu Laohu did not have the strength to give birth, and died. Their child, however, was strong, and lived with her father, but the death of Mu Laohu stayed with the man for the rest of his life. To this day, he believes he will never find another woman like her, and he lives alone with his child."

Hoshiko was silent for a moment, taking in the story, then smiled, "What a beautiful story, if a bit sad." The man nodded.

"Yes, but the best stories are very sad." He said in agreement, "That story was what inspired me to make that beautiful figurine." Hoshiko looked back at it, smiling.

"How much for it?" She asked, the man hummed thoughtfully.

"I don't know…" He said, "I'm very fond of it."

"Well, I'd very much like to have it, hearing that beautiful story." Hoshiko said.

"Father!" A voice said from the back of the shop, Hoshiko's eyes widened when she saw a young woman about her age coming towards them, with long white hair held back in a ponytail and sparkling blue eyes. She came up next to him, "What's going on?"

"Is this… your daughter?" Hoshiko asked, pointing to the girl. She smiled at her and bowed respectfully towards her.

"Yes, miss, my name is Hu Zai." She said, "Nice to meet you." Hoshiko looked back to the man.

"Then, the man in the story…" She said, pointing to the man, who smiled and nodded, "So, this is you and your wife." Hoshiko picked up the figurine of the two.

"Are you buying it?" Hu Zai asked, "Father hasn't been able to sell that figurine since he made it ten years ago." Hoshiko looked back at the man and smiled.

"Actually, I'm not sure what I'd do with this figurine if I did buy it." She said, "Looks like your father's going to hang onto it for a bit longer." Hu Zai pouted.

"Darn." She said, "Well, I suppose there's always next time, right, Dad?" The man said nothing, picking up the figurine and presenting it to Hoshiko.

"Actually, how about you take it for half price?" He offered, "Only two silver pieces."

"Are you sure?" Hoshiko asked, taking the figurine from his hands.

"Yes, I am." He said, "It's about time I… Let go of it. And it's been a very long time since I've had someone to listen to my stories. Consider it a thank you."

"Well, alright." Hoshiko said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out two silver pieces and handing them to him, "Thank you, for the figurine and for the story." She bowed to him, "Have a good day."

"You, too." The man said, waving goodbye as she walked away. Hoshiko smiled down at the figurine as she walked down the street.

* * *

Hoshiko adjusted the figurine on the table, and moved away once she deemed it perfect. She turned around when she heard the door open and saw Katara and Toph come in, their faces covered in make-up.

"Hey Hoshiko." Katara greeted, she looked at the figurine, "Oh, what a pretty statue!"

"Isn't it?" Hoshiko said, looking at it, "I just got it. What do you think?"

"I think it's beautiful." Katara said, gazing at it, "By the way, have you seen Sokka? I couldn't find him earlier." Hoshiko shook her head.

"Sorry, I haven't." She said, "But if I see him, I'll let you know." Katara nodded as Hoshiko started to leave again.

* * *

Hoshiko looked around the city, seeing that it had become dusk, and walked around some part of the upper ring. She wasn't sure where, exactly. She had stopped caring about where she was going a while ago.

She jumped a foot in the air when the building she was passing by suddenly tossed someone out. She was surprised to see it was Sokka, who glared at the building before sitting down and mumbling "Poetry." Angrily.

"Sokka?" Hoshiko asked, looking down at him, he looked up at her in surprise.

"Hoshiko!" He said, standing up, "What… What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that!" Hoshiko said, she looked over at the building he was thrown out of, "Or do I not want to know?"

"Eh… You don't want to know." Sokka said. Hoshiko nodded.

"Uh-huh." She said, "Well, as long as we're out here, you wanna go grab some dinner? I'm hungry."

"Sure." Sokka said with a shrug, following her as they headed to the middle ring.

* * *

Hoshiko tried to take another sip of her drink without laughing as Sokka continued his story about his father.

"So, my dad put the octopus on his head and snuck up on my Grandmother, okay?" He said, Hoshiko snickered behind her hand, "Then, Bato, my dad's friend, sat down behind a wall and started talking this spooky voice, and they convinced Gran Gran that he was an _actual_ water spirit!" Hoshiko laughed aloud, "And that's not even the best part. They convinced her to jump into the water near the edge of the village, completely naked!" Hoshiko covered her mouth as she laughed, trying not to disturb the people around them. She bent over the table, Sokka laughing with her.

"Oh man…" She murmured, wiping away a tear from her laughter, "That's too funny." Sokka chuckled.

"So? What about you?" Sokka asked, picking up a dumpling from the plate they were sharing, "You got any funny stories?"

"Oh, not really." Hoshiko said, "I mean, there's this one story about this one crazy man who talked to a tree, but…"

"Oh, I wanna hear that!" Sokka said, his mouth full of dumpling.

"No, it's not as interesting as it sounds." She warned, "My friend just listened to him talk to the tree about the meaning of life. He went on about his idea of death and the meaning of life and nonsense like that."

"I still wanna hear it!" Sokka said, Hoshiko smiled.

"Okay, fine." She said, "It was, like, a month ago. My friend Xana was going through this one part of the Earth Kingdom and she stopped to take a break in this field-"

"Excuse me," A waiter said, coming up to them, "Would you like more dumplings?" The two teens looked down at their plate, seeing only two dumplings left.

"I don't know," Hoshiko said, she turned to Sokka, "Think you can eat more?"

"Yes, I can." Sokka said, "More dumplings, please."

"Yes, sir." The waiter said, bowing and walking away.

"So, go back to the crazy guy." Sokka ordered once he had left.

"Okay, so she had gone to this field to take a break, right?" Hoshiko continued, "While she's resting, this old guy comes up to her and offers her a drink. Thankfully, she says no, because there must have been _something_ in his water to make him that crazy. He sits down next to her and starts babbling about how we only die because we accept death as an inevitability. She asks him why he's telling her this, and he says he wasn't talking to her. She asks him who he was talking to, and he said…"

"Here you are." The waiter said, putting a plate of dumplings down in front of them. Hoshiko looked at them in surprise.

"That was quick." Sokka said, looking up at the waiter.

"They just finished making a fresh batch." The waiter said, "Now, can I get you and your girlfriend anything else?" The two teens looked up at the waiter with wide eyes and flushed cheeks.

Did he just say '_girlfriend_?'

They quickly tried to explain to the man that they weren't what he thought they were. They spoke at the same time.

"No, s-she's not my girlfriend." Sokka stuttered out quickly, "We're just friends!"

"He's _not_ my boyfriend!" Hoshiko said, pointing to him, "He's just a friend!"

"Oh?" The waiter said, looking between them, "But you two are on a date, aren't you?"

"No! We're not on a _date_!" Sokka said.

"This is _so_ not a date!" Hoshiko said, "I mean, I couldn't date _him_!" Sokka looked at her when she said this, "No, never, ever, ever." She shook her head, "It's completely impossible."

"…I see." The waiter said after a moment, "Pardon the mistake, then." He bowed towards them, "Can I get you anything else?"

"I think I'm good for now." Hoshiko said, "What about you?"

"Could you bring us the check?" Sokka asked him, the waiter nodded.

"Certainly, sir." He said, walking away.

"Okay, so where was I?" Hoshiko said, pausing in thought, "Oh, right! So, Xana asks the old man who he was talking to, and he says-"

"Actually, Hoshiko," Sokka said, "I don't really want to hear it anymore." Hoshiko stopped.

"Uh… Okay." She said awkwardly.

* * *

Sokka and Hoshiko walked back to the house in silence. Hoshiko looked over at Sokka worriedly.

"Sokka, are you okay?" She asked him, "You've been acting weird since we left the restaurant."

"It's nothing." Sokka said.

"It's _not_ nothing!" Hoshiko said, stepping up in front of him, "Sokka, what's the matter?" Sokka looked away from her and walked around her.

"I said it's nothing." He said. Hoshiko reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Sokka!" She said in a warning tone. Sokka pulled his arm away from her. Hoshiko scowled and ran up in front of him, stopping him by grabbing onto his shoulders. She sighed and calmed herself down before she spoke, "Look, if there's something wrong you can tell me. We're friends, aren't we? You can tell me what's wrong." Sokka looked at her for a second, then stepped back from her, looking away.

"I don't know…" He said, "It's just… what happened back at the restaurant."

"What?" Hoshiko asked, "Do you mean when the waiter confused us for boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"No, it's what you said." Sokka specified, "About me and you _never_ dating, that hurt."

"What do you mean?" Hoshiko asked, "I mean, we don't like each other like that, right?" Sokka didn't meet her eyes, not saying anything, "…_Right_?"

"I don't know." Sokka said with a shrug, "Maybe."

"Sokka, there's no way…" Hoshiko said, "What about Suki?"

"I don't know!" Sokka said, "I mean, I think you're cute and stuff, so…"

"Sokka…" Hoshiko sighed, "It wouldn't work. We'd be fighting almost all the time. And, for crying out loud, you have Suki! She's a girl that actually likes you like that! Not that you're not a bad guy or anything, but… I don't like you like that."

"I know." Sokka said with a shrug, "I just thought… I don't know, maybe you'd change your mind or something."

"Sokka," Hoshiko said gently, "I couldn't. My heart belongs to someone else." She put her hand on his shoulder, "Look, let's just stay friends and forget this ever happened, okay?"

"Forget what happened?" Sokka asked, giving her a smirk, Hoshiko smiled and patted his shoulder.

"That's the spirit." She said, "Let's go back to the house." Sokka nodded and followed her.

"Can I just say something real quick?" Sokka asked.

"Hmm?" Hoshiko prodded.

"You have… A _great_ butt." Sokka said, Hoshiko smirked.

"Thanks." She said, "You're not so bad yourself."


	21. Lake Laogai

21

Hoshiko lay on her back as she played with a tassel on the curtain in boredom as she and Toph lay around the house, waiting for Katara and Aang to come back from searching for a printer to print their Appa posters. Hoshiko looked over at Sokka, and quirked an eyebrow at the odd pictures he was drawing. She sat up and crawled over on her knees to get a better look at the pictures. They looked like some combination of slug, sheep, and centipede. She turned it sideways, thinking that she might have been holding it wrong, but she was only more confused.

Her thoughts on the odd drawing were cut short when Katara and Aang came in the front door and ran up to them.

"We found a printer to make our posters!" Katara said happily, presenting the lost bison poster, which had an expertly done picture of Appa on it.

"Hey, I thought designing the lost Appa poster was my job." Sokka said, sounding a little offended. He held up one of his pictures, "I've been working all day on my Appa!" Katara snickered at the picture and Aang grimaced.

"Sokka, the arrow is on Appa's _head_." Aang said. Katara giggled behind her hand, still trying to hide her laughter.

"This _is_ his head!" Sokka said, pointing to it. Hoshiko reached for the picture and stared at it.

"Then why are feet coming out of it?" Hoshiko asked, Sokka snatched the picture from her hands.

"Those are his horns!" He said, he lowered his head in frustration, "I haven't seen him in a while, okay?"

"It looks _just_ like him to me." Toph said with a stifled laugh. Sokka smiled at her.

"_Thank you_! I worked really-" He stopped, realizing that he was taking a compliment from a blind girl. Hoshiko burst out in laughter, rolling onto her back, "Why do you feel the need to do that?"

"Let's just stick with the professional version." Katara said. Sokka angrily tore up his picture, then crossed his arms and pouted like a child.

"Come on!" Aang said, holding out handfuls of posters, "Let's get busy!" Hoshiko took her own handful, as did Katara and Sokka. They split up and went to different parts of the city to put up their posters. Hoshiko went through the middle ring, putting posters up on the walls. As she passed by some people, she handed them some posters. Hoshiko looked up when their posters suddenly started falling from the sky, and laughed to herself when she saw Aang flying over the city, dropping the posters. She shook her head to herself and continued putting up posters in the city.

* * *

Hoshiko's tail twitched in concentration as she and Sokka played a card game. Toph tossed a ball against a wall as she relaxed. Katara was sitting down on one of the pillows reading a scroll. She looked up when the doors opened and Aang came in.

"I just finished dropping off the leaflets." Aang said, coming up to where Sokka and Hoshiko were playing their card game, "Has anyone come in with news about Appa?"

"It's only been a day." Katara said, "Just be patient." Aang sighed and sat down, his head resting on the table. Hoshiko grinned as she slapped down a card over one of Sokka's.

"I win!" She cried happily, holding her arms up in victory. Sokka moaned and slammed his head down on the table. Their attention was turned to the door when someone knocked on it.

"Wow, you're right!" Aang said, standing up, "Patience really pays off!" He ran over to the door and was surprised who waited on the other side, "Joo Dee?"

"Hello Aang, and Katara, and Sokka, and Hoshiko, and Toph." Joo Dee greeted, coming in. Hoshiko shuddered at the sight of her creepy smile.

"What happened to you?" Sokka asked, "Did the Dai Lee throw you in jail?"

"What? Jail? Of course not." Joo Dee said, "The Dai Lee are the protectors of our cultural heritage."

"But you disappeared at the Earth King's party!" Toph said.

"Oh, I simply took a short vacation to Lake Laogai." Joo Dee said, "Out in the country. It was quite relaxing."

"But then they replaced with some other woman who _also_ said her name was Joo Dee." Katara said.

"…_I'm_ Joo Dee." She said.

"Just tell us why you're here." Hoshiko said, knowing that Joo Dee wouldn't tell them what was really going on no matter how hard they tried to get her to.

Joo Dee reached into her sleeve and pulled out one of the posters they had put up, "Dropping fliers and putting up posters isn't permitted within the city. Not without proper clearance."

"We can't wait around to get permission for everything." Sokka said.

"You are absolutely forbidden by the rules of the city to continue putting up posters." Joo Dee said, her smile unfaltering as she spoke. Aang came up to her, his face becoming red in anger.

"We don't care about the rules and we're _not_ asking permission!" He shouted at her, Joo Dee shrunk back in surprise, "We're finding Appa on our own and _you_ should just stay out of our way!" He slammed the door in her face once she was out of the house.

"…That _might_ come back to bite us in the blubber." Sokka said.

"I don't care." Aang replied testily, "From now on, we do whatever it takes to find Appa."

"Yeah!" Toph shouted happily, "Let's break some rules!" In her excitement she used her earth bending to completely destroy one corner of the house.

"Somehow, I saw that coming." Hoshiko said, not surprised at all.

"Come on," Aang said, "Let's go put up some more posters." Everyone followed him out of the house to walk to the upper ring. As they walked down the street, Hoshiko sensed a presence. She turned around, and narrowed her eyes at the forms of two Dai Lee agents as they ducked out of sight.

* * *

Sokka brushed some glue onto the wall, and put the poster on top of it. Hoshiko dug her brush into her glue can, but could barely get anything out of it.

"We'll split up to cover more area." Sokka said, "Katara, you go that way, Aang, you go down that street, I'll go down that way, and Hoshiko, you can-"

"Um, I'm out of glue." She said, presenting the empty can to Sokka. He looked at it in surprise.

"How can you be out?" He asked, taking it from her, "We just bought this glue yesterday!" Hoshiko shrugged, a guilty expression on her face. Sokka saw this and narrowed his eyes, "What did you do?"

"I… _might_ have done something with it… that wasn't for poster purposes." She said uneasily, Sokka glared at her, "I may have, just maybe, poured half of it on top of a guy's head who tried to pick my pocket."

"You _what?_!" Sokka exclaimed.

"It was _my_ money! I wasn't going to let him just take it!" Hoshiko reasoned.

"Sokka, it's fine." Katara said, "Hoshiko can just use some of my glue."

"Thank you, Katara." Hoshiko said, walking over next to her.

"Fine then, you and Katara can go that way." Sokka said, pointing behind them, "Toph, I guess you should just come with me."

"Why?" Toph demanded angrily, "Because you think I can't put up posters on my own?" She reached over and grabbed his glue brush, sweeping it across the wall and slamming a poster on top of it. The problem was, she had put the poster up on the wrong side. It looked like a blank piece of paper stuck on the wall. Everyone was silent for a moment.

"It's upside-down isn't it?" Toph asked, nobody responded to her, "I'll just go with Sokka." She handed him back his brush and walked with him as they went their separate ways.

Hoshiko and Katara went down to the lower ring near a small stream. Katara painted the glue onto a nearby building and Hoshiko carefully smoothed the poster out on top of it.

"Katara?" The two girls turned around at the voice and Hoshiko saw a boy dressed in haphazard clothing. He smiled at the two of them, "I think I can help you." Katara's face flushed angrily and Hoshiko stumbled back in surprise as she began to bend up two huge waves of water from the stream. "Katara! I've changed!" Katara used the waves to send him flying back into an alley. She quickly ran over to it, bending some water out of a nearby puddle.

"Tell it to some other girl, Jet!" She growled before turning the water into icicles and shooting them out at him. Hoshiko ran over to them and watched at the boy, Jet, pulled out two hook swords and used them to stop any icicles coming his way.

"Katara! Are you nuts?" She shouted, although her words didn't seem to reach her.

"I don't want to fight you," He said, "I'm here to help!" He held up his two hook swords and threw them to the ground. Katara looked at him in surprise when she saw this. Jet looked back up at her and smiled when he realized she wasn't attacking him. He reached into his back pocket, and Katara, assuming it was another weapon, shot out more icicles and pinned him to the wall. Hoshiko heard the sound of footsteps and looked to see Aang, Toph, and Sokka running towards them.

"Katara, what is it?" Sokka asked, running up to her.

Katara glared at the pinned boy, "Jet's back."

"Who?" Toph and Hoshiko asked at the same time.

"We can't trust anything Jet says!" Katara said quickly.

"But we don't even know why he's here." Sokka said.

"I don't care why he's here!" Katara said, "Whatever the reason is, it can't be good!"

"I'm here to help you find Appa!" Jet said, he opened his hand slightly to unroll the piece of paper that he had taken from his pocket, revealing it to be a lost Appa poster.

"Katara, we have to give him a chance." Aang said.

"I swear, I've changed." Jet said sincerely, "I was a troubled person, and I let my anger get outta control. But I don't even have the gang now! I've put all that behind me."

"You're lying!" Katara said, Toph walked past her and over to Jet, putting her hand on the wall he was pinned to.

"He's _not_ lying." Toph said.

"How can you tell?" Hoshiko asked.

"I can feel his breathing and heartbeat." Toph explained, "When people lie, there's a physical reaction. He's telling the truth." She turned back to the group.

Aang turned to Katara, "Katara, we don't have any leads," He said, "If Jet says he can take us to Appa, we have to check it out."

"…Alright." Katara said, a little reluctantly. She narrowed her eyes at Jet, "But we're not letting you out of our sight!" Jet nodded and she took away the icicles, allowing him to move freely.

"Here's the deal," Jet began, "There's this place near my work. I overheard these two guys talking, and I think Appa might be there."

"Then take us to where they were holding him." Hoshiko said, "We'll be able to check it out from there." Jet nodded and walked forward, leading the group. Hoshiko walked a little slower to speak with Katara. "So…" She began, Katara looked over at her, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Katara said.

"Do you remember when we were in Omashu," Hoshiko said, "And we had to cover ourselves with purple pentapi's to make ourselves look sick?" Katara nodded, "Do you remember the conversation we had while they were sucking on our skin?"

"Yeah." Katara said.

"Is _that_," She pointed to Jet, "The same Jet you were talking about then?" Katara blushed and looked away.

"Yeah…" She mumbled. Hoshiko's grin widened and she let out a chuckle.

"Wow, this must be _so_ awkward for you." She giggled, "Imma go talk to him." She winked at Katara as she skipped up to where Jet was.

"Ah-! Hoshiko!" Katara hissed, trying to make her stop. Hoshiko stuck her tongue out playfully at her as she walked up to Jet.

"Hi." She greeted, Jet smiled at her, "I'm Hoshiko."

"Jet." He said, holding out his hand for her to shake, "Nice to meet you."

"Oh, the pleasure is _all_ mine, believe me." Hoshiko said, stealing a glance over at Katara, who quickly turned away. Hoshiko tried to keep her smile to herself. She had never had a chance to mess with Katara before, and now she had the perfect opportunity. "So, I'm guessing from Katara's reaction earlier that you two aren't on good terms?" Jet snorted.

"That's _one_ way of putting it." He said.

"Yeah, I heard." Hoshiko said, "She does _not_ like you very much, does she?"

"If you heard, then you should know." Jet said, "I wasn't a good guy before. I swear, I'm different from who I was back then."

"Oh, I believe you." Hoshiko said, "People are perfectly capable of change."

"Good to know someone believes me." Jet said, smiling at her. Hoshiko smiled back, "So, what about you? What brings you to join the avatar's posse?"

"He's helping me look for my family." Hoshiko said.

"You got separated?" Jet asked, Hoshiko nodded, her expression saddening.

"Yeah, the Fire Nation destroyed my village in a Fire Nation raid." She said, "I was taken in as a slave, my father was killed. I don't know about my mother, though, and there are still some other people I'm looking for as well."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Jet said, "My parents were killed by the Fire Nation, too." Hoshiko looked over at him sadly, but quickly shook her head of the thoughts of the Fire Nation.

"So, what have you been doing since you came to the city?" She asked.

"I've been living peacefully in Ba-Sing-Se." Jet said.

"All on your own?" Hoshiko asked.

"Well, it's not that hard to get by when you're living in the greatest city in the world." Jet said, Hoshiko tensed, remembering a similar phrase from one of two Joo Dee's.

"What did you just say?" Hoshiko asked him quietly.

Jet ignored her question as they approached a building, "Hey, we're here!" Hoshiko looked up at the barn they were approaching, "This is the place I heard about." As they walked in, they saw that the barn was empty.

"There's nothing here." Aang said sadly, looking around.

"If this is a trap…!" Katara began, getting into a fighting position.

"I _told_ you!" Jet said, "I work nearby! Two guys were talking about some giant furry creature they had. I figured it must be Appa." Hoshiko's sharp eyes spotted something on the floor and she bent down to pick it up, seeing that it was soft, white fur.

"He was here!" She said, turning to the others and holding out the fur. Aang rushed over and looked sadly at the clump of fur in her hands.

"We missed him." Aang said sadly, petting the fur.

"They took that big thing yesterday." An old man said as he swept the floor, getting Aang's attention, "Shipped him out to some island. 'Bout time, I've been cleaning up fur and various, uh, _leavings_ all day."

"What island?" Aang asked quickly, "Where's Appa?"

"Foreman said some rich royal type on Whale Tail Island bought him up." The old man said, dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief, "Guess for a zoo or such. Though, could be the meat'd be good."

"We've gotta get to Whale Tail Island!" Aang said, he paused for a second, then looked over at Sokka, who was looking at a map to see where it was, "Where's Whale Tail Island?"

"Far." Sokka said, looking up from the map, "Very far." He laid the map down on the floor, "Here it is." He pointed to an island in the shape of a whale's tail near the arctic, "It's near the South Pole, almost all the way back home!"

"Aang, it'll take us weeks just to get to the tip of the Earth Kingdom." Katara said, "And then we'll need to find a boat to get to the island!"

"I don't care." Aang said, "We have a chance to find Appa. We have to try!"

"Must be nice to visit an island." The old man said idly, "I haven't had a vacation for years!"

"Don't you have some more hair to clean up?" Katara asked angrily.

"Shuffle on, I get ya." The man said, "No more need for old Sweepy."

Katara turned to Aang, putting her hand on his shoulder, "You're right, Aang." She said, "Our first concern should be finding Appa. We can come back when we have him."

"All right," Sokka said, rolling up the map, "Let's get moving."

"I'll come with you." Jet said, following them out.

"We don't need your help." Katara said testily.

"Why won't you trust me?" Jet asked hurtfully before following the others out.

"Gee, I wonder?" Katara said sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest angrily.

"Was this guy your boyfriend or something?" Toph asked her.

"What? No!" Katara said quickly.

"I can tell you're _lying~_." Toph said in a sing-song voice. Katara blushed and stalked out of the barn, following the boys. Hoshiko snickered and came up next to Toph.

"Have I ever told you how awesome you are?" Hoshiko said, putting her arm around Toph's shoulders.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't mind hearing it again." Toph said, Hoshiko laughed as they followed everyone out.

* * *

Everyone walked down the streets of Ba-Sing-Se, heading to get their things before they left the city.

"We can take the train out to the wall, but then we'll have to walk." Sokka said to everyone.

"Don't worry," Aang said, "On the way back, we'll be flying!"

"We're _finally_ leaving Ba-Sing-Se." Toph said happily, she threw her hands up and said, "Worst. City. Ever!"

"Jet!" A voice called out, everyone turned to see two people, a scruffy looking girl and a serious looking boy with an archer's bow on his back.

"I _thought_ you said you didn't have your gang anymore!" Katara said hotly, glaring at Jet.

"I don't!" Jet said, he turned around just in time for the girl to hug him.

"We were so worried!" She said, "How did you get away from the Dai Lee?"

"The_ Dai Lee?_!" Katara repeated in shock.

"I don't know what she's talking about!" Jet said, stepping back from her.

"He got arrested by the Dai Lee a couple weeks ago." The girl said, "We saw them drag him away!"

"Why would I be arrested?" Jet asked, "I've been living peacefully in the city!" Toph came between the two and put her hand to the ground.

"This doesn't make any sense." She said confusedly, "They're both telling the truth."

"That's impossible!" Katara said.

"No, it's not!" Hoshiko said, "The reason Toph can't tell who's lying is because they _both_ think they're telling the truth!" She pointed at Jet, "Jet's been brainwashed by the Dai Lee!"

"That's crazy!" Jet said, "It can't be!" He looked around at everyone and began backing up. "Stay away from me!" Everyone came a little closer to him and surrounded him, leaving him with nowhere to go. Hoshiko lifted her hand and wrapped shadowy tendrils around his arms to hold him still. She looked around them for any Dai Lee agents that may have been watching them.

"We need to go somewhere private." She said to the others.

"We have a place." The scruffy girl said, "Follow me."

* * *

Everyone stood in a small room in an old inn in the lower ring of the city. They stood in a half-circle around Jet, who sat in a chair.

"The Dai Lee must've sent Jet to mislead us." Katara said, "And that janitor was part of their plot, too."

"I bet they have Appa here in the city." Aang said, "Maybe he's in the same place they took Jet!" He turned to the boy in question, "Where did they take you?"

"Nowhere!" Jet said, "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"We need to find a way to jog his real memories." Aang said, putting his hand to his chin thoughtfully.

"Maybe Katara could kiss him." Hoshiko said with a sly smirk, "_That_ oughta bring something back."

"Maybe _you_ should kiss him, Hoshiko." Katara said hotly.

Hoshiko raised her hands defensively, "Hey, it was just a suggestion."

"A bad one." Aang muttered under his breath.

"Ooh! Wait!" Sokka said, heading over to the mattress, "I got it!" He reached into it and pulled out a small straw of wheat grass. He went over to Jet and stuck it in his mouth. Jet looked at him dryly.

"I don't think it's working." He said, spitting it out.

"Try to think of something from your past that triggers your emotions." Toph suggested.

"The Fire Nation!" Smellerbee said, "Remember what they did to your family!"

"Close your eyes." Katara said, "Picture it." Jet did as he was told, closing his eyes and remembering the night his parents died. He remembered seeing the house in flames, and the cruel Fire Nation Colonel Mongke who started the fire that burned his home to ashes, and reduced his parents' corpses to nothing but burnt bones.

"No!" Jet cried, jumping forward, "It's too painful…" Katara walked over behind him, bending out some water.

"Maybe this'll help." She said, she put the water to his temples and began carefully moving the chi inside his head. Jet's eyes closed as he began to relax, feeling his mind become clearer than it had ever been before. He began to think about what had happened, and he began to remember. Long Feng, the leader of the Dai Lee, had him taken to a lair under the water, near some lake. He remembered the Dai Lee agent that brainwashed him, saying 'There is no war in Ba-Sing-Se. Here, we are safe. Here, we are free.' Over and over again.

"They took me to a headquarters under the water." Jet said, "Like a lake."

"Wait!" Sokka said suddenly, turning to the others, "Remember what Joo Dee said? She said she went on vacation to Lake Laogai."

"That's it!" Jet exclaimed, jumping up, "Lake Laogai."

* * *

It wasn't very hard for them to find the lake. It was the only body of water in the entire city, just outside the inner wall. Hoshiko thought it was a beautiful lake, even though it was home to the headquarters of one of the sneakiest conspirators alive.

"So, where's this secret headquarters?" Sokka asked Jet.

"Under the water, I think." Jet said, rubbing his neck.

"There's a tunnel right there near the shore." Toph said, pointing to wherever the tunnel was. She walked over to it and used earth bending to bring up a small pathway to the tunnel. Everyone followed her to the tunnel's entrance and she bent away the cover that was over the hole. Everyone peered inside it, seeing that the headquarters was very deep underground. Momo, who had been sitting on Aang's shoulder, chirped fearfully at the sight of it and flew away.

They carefully and quietly climbed down the ladder and down the stairs into the headquarters. As they turned a corner, they heard the footsteps of Dai Lee agents, and hid behind a corner until the coast was clear. Jet led the way as they walked down the hall, passing various rooms.

"It's all starting to come back to me…" Jet murmured as he looked around. He moved a bit closer to one room, peeking inside, seeing many different women dressed in the exact same style of clothing and hair and a single Dai Lee agent. All of the women's eyes had hugely dilated pupils, showing that they were ready for brainwashing.

"I am Joo Dee." The Dai Lee agent said, "Welcome to Ba-Sing-Se."

"I am Joo Dee." The women repeated, "Welcome to Ba-Sing-Se."

"We're so lucky to have our walls to create order." The Dai Lee agent said.

"We're so lucky to have our walls to create order." The women repeated. As Hoshiko passed by this room, she frowned. All those women in there were perfectly innocent girls who had been pulled into something terrible. They most likely had family and friends waiting for them somewhere, but since all of their identities had changed to Joo Dee, the hostess of Ba-Sing-Se, there's a good chance they would never be able to go back to them.

"I think there might be a cell big enough to hold Appa up ahead." Jet said, breaking her mind from her depressing thoughts. He led them around a corner to the end of a hallway where a stone door waited, "I think it's through here." He reached up and opened the door, and everyone followed him in. The room was huge, but it was also dark, and that made it very hard for everyone but Hoshiko to see. She looked around the room, seeing no sign of the bison. She was about to ask Jet if he had made a mistake when the door suddenly shut behind them. A light went up in the room, and Hoshiko's eyes widened at the sight of a dozen Dai Lee agents hanging from the ceiling.

"Now _that's_ something different." Sokka said, looking up at them. Hoshiko looked in front of them and her pupils narrowed slightly into slits when she saw Long Feng standing in front of them with two more Dai Lee agents at his side.

"You have made yourselves enemies of the state." Long Feng said, "Take them into custody." The Dai Lee agents dropped down from the ceiling and landed in a perfect circle around the eight of them. Two agents shot out their stone gloves, turning them into fists. Toph fought back with her earth bending before they came anywhere near them. Then she made two diagonal masts of stone come out of the ground, knocking them away. Taking this as the incentive to fight, Jet ran at two other agents who also shot out their gloves. He slashed them in two with his hook swords and ducked down before they had a chance to do it again. He slid across the floor and hooked one of his weapons around one of the agent's ankles, he stood up and quickly brought him down onto the floor. Aang jumped up and used his own earth bending to knock away two other agents. One agent shot out their glove at Hoshiko and she quickly moved out of its path. She brought up an inky ball of shadow and shot it at the agent, sending him flying back. She let out a yelp when another agent's glove grabbed her tail and began pulling her back. Smellerbee quickly came to her rescue by slicing up the glove and letting her escape their grasp.

"_Why does everyone always go for my tail?_!" Hoshiko growled angrily as she brought up and shadow fist and hit him across his face before sending another one to punch through his stomach. Two other agents shot out their earthen gloves at Katara and Sokka, and they got rid of them before they had a chance to attach. They yelped when two other gloves grabbed onto the back of their clothes and pulled them towards the agents. Toph stopped them by quickly bending up a wall before they reached them. The two agents sent a pathway of jutted rocks towards Toph, and she avoided it by elevating the earth she stood on. The two agents did the same while another two scaled the walls and sent two long earthen masts at her from the side. She stopped the two agents on the elevated earth by bending up blocks to knock them away before they could grab her and she avoided the earthen masts by jumping up before they could crush her. When the agents who made the masts came running towards her, she bent up small walls and pushed them back onto the floor. She shouted when one Dai Lee glove caught her by surprise and grabbed her by the back of her shirt. Jet swung in on a chain that had been hanging from the ceiling and pulled her away before the agent could grab her. When the agent shot out his earthen shoe at them, Longshot pulled out an arrow and destroyed it. Two more agents came up next to that one, shooting out a glove, and Jet came in front of him, slashing it like he had the others. When three more came at him, Hoshiko bent up a shadowy barrier in front of Jet before they could hit. She ran towards them, her body collecting shadows and beginning to cover her completely, making her look like a black panther. She ran on all fours towards the agents, and snarled, shooting out four shadowy tendrils from her back at them, forcing them all into the wall.

Her sharp eyes caught some motion and she saw someone was running away.

"Long Feng is escaping!" Aang said, he, Jet, and Hoshiko ran after him as he ran down another hallway. They reached what looked like a room for drainage, and the door slammed shut behind them, trapping them inside with Long Feng. He jumped down from the ceiling and glared at them.

"Alright, avatar." He said, "You've caused me enough problems. This is your last chance. If you want your bison back."

"You _do_ have Appa!" Aang growled, "Tell me where he is!"

"Agree to exit the city now and I'll waive all charges against you and allow you to leave with your lost pet." Long Feng said.

"You're in no position to bargain." Jet said, holding up his hook swords.

"Am I not?" Long Feng asked with a smug grin. Hoshiko arched her back up, her shadowy fur bristling.

"You're _definitely_ not!" She snarled at him, still in her panther form.

"Jet," Long Feng began calmly, "The Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai." Hoshiko quirked an eyebrow at his odd choice of words.

"I am honored to accept his invitation." Jet replied robotically. Aang and Hoshiko looked over at him, and jumped out of the way when he swiped at them with his hook swords. He launched himself at Aang, slicing at him again and again, with Aang jumping just out of reach before they hit.

"Jet! It's me, Aang!" He cried, jumping back from him. Hoshiko ran at him, jumping up on her hind legs, planning on pinning him down, but instead he slashed at her middle. She let out a grunt and slid back, her panther form disappearing. She yelped and jumped out of the way when he tried to slash her in two.

"Stop! Jet, you don't have to do this!" She cried, standing up.

"I'm afraid he no longer has a choice." Long Feng said. Hoshiko looked at Jet carefully, and saw his pupils had greatly dilated, like the Joo Dee girls' had. Jet hadn't just been brainwashed so he wouldn't cause any trouble for the Dai Lee, he was also their sleeper soldier! She yelped as she jumped back from his weapon before it sliced her. He came at her again and she jumped back. He sliced at her shoulder and she moved away from his blade, but somehow stumbled over her own feet in the process and fell to the ground. She shrieked when Jet began to bring his hook sword down on her, and she put up her arms defensively. Aang used his air bending to push him away from her before he could do any damage. Hoshiko stood up and ran over next to Aang, looking at Jet worriedly when he stood back up from Aang's blow.

"Jet! We're your friends!" Hoshiko called to him, "Look inside your heart and stop this madness!" Jet closed his eyes for a moment, and Hoshiko's heart swelled with hope at the notion of actually getting through to him.

"Do your duty, Jet." Long Feng commanded. Jet's eyes opened and he wordlessly obeyed Long Feng, coming over to Aang and Hoshiko, weapons raised.

"He can't make you do this!" Aang said, "You're a Freedom Fighter!" Jet gasped, his eyes widening at the mention of the Freedom Fighters. He remembered starting up his gang, and all of the friends he had made, he remembered being with Aang and his friends, he remembered kissing Katara, and he remembered when his home was burned down by the Fire Nation. He remembered everything that made him who he was, and he knew he shouldn't do what Long Feng was ordering him to do. Hoshiko smiled in relief when she saw his pupils return to their natural state, showing that he was no longer under Long Feng's control.

"Do it!" Long Feng ordered, not realizing what had happened, "Do it now!" Jet let out a shout as he took one of his hook swords and threw it at Long Feng. He easily dodged the blade and shot out his fist in an earth bending strike. The attack was unbelievably quick, and the dust that came up from the ground prevented Aang and Hoshiko from seeing what had happened. When the dust cleared, a large piece of earth had jutted out from the ground, and Jet lay on his back. They looked at the scene with wide eyes and Aang ran towards Jet. Hoshiko growled and shot three tendrils of shadow at Long Feng, who dodged it by bending up the earth he stood on so he could jump through one of the draining holes on the wall. He narrowed his eyes at Jet from his place, "Foolish boy… You've chosen your own demise." Hoshiko's ears caught his words and she let out a roar, shooting a projectile of shadow at him, which missed him as he ran away.

"Coward!" Hoshiko shouted after him. Jet groaned in pain and her face instantly softened, she ran over to his side next to Aang. She looked over him sadly.

"I'm sorry… Guys." Jet said to them.

"Don't be." Aang told him. Hoshiko looked over at the door when it was opened and saw their friends on the other side. They all ran towards Jet when they saw him lying on the ground. Katara quickly bended out her water and had it cover her hands. She knelt down and moved the water over his chest, examining the damage. She suddenly stopped and looked back at the others.

"This isn't good." She said grimly.

"You guys go and find Appa." Smellerbee said, "We'll take care of Jet."

"We're not leaving you guys!" Hoshiko said.

"There's no time." Everyone looked over at Longshot in surprise, for it was the first time they had ever heard him speak, "Just go. We'll take care of him, he's our leader."

"…Don't worry, Katara." Jet said, his voice weak, "I'll be fine." He gave her a small, kind smile to reassure her. Katara took in a deep breath and got up, leading everyone out of the room. Before Hoshiko left him she gently squeezed his shoulder, a silent way of saying she hoped he was going to be fine. She ran up and followed the others out as they headed out.

"He's lying…" Toph murmured when she came up next to her.

"I know." She whispered back, listening sadly to the echoing sounds of Smellerbee's sobs as they ran for the room where Appa was.

When they reached the room where Appa had been held, they found six empty cuffs that were attached to the floor, that were big enough to hold the bison down, but no bison attached to them.

"Appa's gone!" Aang said sadly, looking around, "Long Feng beat us here."

"If we keep moving, maybe we can catch up with them!" Sokka said. They ran out of the room and headed for the exit tunnel. When they reached the end of it, Toph blew it open and they all ran out of the tunnel. As they ran along the shore, Aang snuck a glance behind them, and saw a huge group of Dai Lee agents running after them.

"Think we can outrun them?" Hoshiko asked him as they ran.

"I don't think it's gonna matter." Aang said, Hoshiko looked ahead of them and saw Long Feng and other Dai Lee agents waiting for them. They bent up a large earth wall to stop them. And once the agents behind them caught up with them, they bent up a wall behind them. They were trapped. The Dai Lee had successfully captured them. Everyone looked at Momo as he flew down towards them, chirping excitedly about something as he landed on Aang's shoulder. "What is it Momo?" Momo kept chirping as he flew up into the air again, and heading in the direction of the sun. What came back, however, was not a flying lemur.

It was a giant, flying, furry white bison with an arrow on his head.

"Appa!" Aang exclaimed happily, seeing him. The bison growled as he barreled head first through the two walls the Dai Lee had made, sending some of them into the lake. Taking advantage of the temporary distraction he caused, Toph and Aang went over to where some of the Dai Lee were still standing and used their earth bending to throw them into the lake. Appa turned around and landed in front of Long Feng, who stood alone in the rubble. Appa growled intimidatingly at him and Long Feng glared back at the bison, taking a defensive stance.

"I can handle you by myself." He said, and he charged at the bison. Appa stopped him by biting onto his leg and bucking back onto four legs to throw him into the lake with the others. He skipped like a stone on the water before he splashed into it.

Once they were safe, everyone ran towards Appa, Aang jumping up onto his head, Katara and Sokka launching themselves onto his front forelegs, Hoshiko jumped up onto his back, and Toph ran over and affectionately petted his nose.

"I missed you, buddy." Aang said, tears of happiness streaming down his cheeks. They quickly got on the bison and flew over the lake to get somewhere safe.

As they flew over the water, Katara stared down at it with tears in her eyes. Aang comfortingly put his hand on her shoulder and she looked over at him, wiping away some of the tears. Everyone pulled together for a group hug, and Appa grunted, sounding almost like he was mourning with them as he soared over the water.

* * *

**To Theunstable: Yes, the Shinjun Tribe was my original idea. Thank you for giving me a review!**


	22. The Earth King

22

After finding a small island in the middle of the lake, Appa landed there. Aang instantly hugged his head, the biggest smile on his face that anyone had seen since they arrived in Ba-Sing-Se.

"I missed you more than you'll ever know, buddy." Aang said, Momo chirped and flew up, hugging Appa's head the way Aang was. Appa moved his head and gave Aang a big, affectionate lick when he came off his head. Aang laughed as he nuzzled him. Everyone watched the scene with a smile, glad to see Appa back with them. Sokka looked over at Hoshiko, Katara, and Toph and walked over to them.

"Look, we escaped from the Dai Lee, we got Appa back!" He began, "I'm telling you, we should go to the Earth King now and tell him our plan. We're on a roll!"

"One good hour after _weeks_ of trouble isn't much of a roll." Katara said.

"We can build on it!" Sokka insisted, "If we want to invade the Fire Nation when the eclipse happens, we need the Earth King's support."

"What makes you think we'll get it?" Hoshiko asked, "I don't know if you've noticed, but things don't exactly go all that well for our little team."

"I know." Sokka said, "But I've got a good feeling about this. This time will be different."

"Sokka, Long Feng is in control of the city," Katara said, "His conspiracy with the Dai Lee is too powerful. I think we should just keep flying and leave this horrible place behind us."

"I'm with Sweetness." Toph said, "I've seen enough of Ba-Sing-Se, and I can't even _see_!"

"It's just not worth it." Hoshiko said, crossing her arms across her chest.

Aang came over to them, "But now that we have Appa back, there's nothing stopping us from telling the Earth King the truth! About the conspiracy, _and_ the war."

"See?" Sokka said, putting his arm around Aang's shoulders, "Aang's with me!" Hoshiko rolled her eyes, "It's the whole reason we came here in the first place. We _have_ to try." Hoshiko put her hand to her chin in thought.

"Well…" She mumbled, "I _guess_ if the Earth King knew the truth, things could change for us." Aang and Sokka smiled at her answer.

"I don't trust the new, positive Sokka." Toph said, she pointed her finger accusingly at him and shouted, "LONG FENG BRAINWASHED YOU, DIDN'T HE?" Movement caught Aang's eye and he looked to see three boats sailing over Lake Laogai's waters. Katara and Sokka ran over next to him.

"That's probably the Dai Lee searching for us!" Sokka said, he turned to his sister, "So?" He asked, her being the last one to give their opinion on the situation. Katara thought for a moment, then turned to her brother.

"Let's fly."

* * *

Appa let out a roar as he soared over the city. Aang sat at his head, holding the reigns, while everyone else rode on his back. The saddle they were normally used to using, however, was gone, so they had to hang onto his fur.

"Can we _please_ buy a new saddle?" Toph cried, "Riding bareback is terrifying!" She quickly buried her face back into Appa's fur. Hoshiko pulled herself up slightly as they came to what she could only guess was the center of the city, because the entire area was surrounded by a wall.

"There it is." Sokka said, pointing to the huge building they were coming up on, "That whole thing is the palace. The Earth King's chamber should be in the center."

"We have to be careful." Katara said, "Long Feng's probably warned the king that we're coming."

"Why would you assume that?" Sokka asked, "If you ask me, I think we're just gonna sail right in-" Appa swerved to avoid an airborne boulder.

"What was that?" Toph asked, terrified.

"Surface-to-air rocks!" Sokka said, "More incoming!" Hoshiko gripped tightly onto Appa's fur as they swerved left and right to avoid being hit by the huge rocks thrown by the earth bending soldiers below. When one came up too close, Aang used his own earth bending to shatter it. As they flew closer to the ground, the rocks soared over their heads, when another boulder got too close for Aang's liking, he earth bended it in two. As they got closer, Hoshiko saw a whole platoon of soldiers waited for them. Aang jumped off Appa and headed straight for the ground. When he landed, he used earth bending to create a huge shockwave that knocked them all back. When those soldiers were out of the way, they began running towards the palace. After a few seconds, they were surrounded by soldiers again, who stood all along the pathway they ran on. They bent up the walkway and started shooting them off at them, but Toph and Aang made sure to deflect the rocks with their own earth bending. And once the soldiers were unarmed, Hoshiko bent up enough shadow to use it as a whip to send them flying back. Katara did the same with her own water whip on the opposite side.

As more soldiers ran towards them, Toph used her earth bending to make the path they were running on flip over and trap them underneath.

"Sorry!" Katara said as she ran past them, "We just need to get through to see the Earth King!" They ran closer towards the moat that surrounded the palace. Soldiers quickly came out and surrounded the moat opposite the side they were on. A group of soldiers lifted up two, large badger mold statues and threw them towards the group of five. Sokka looked up at the oncoming statues in fear, and Aang and Toph reacted quickly by bending up a dome of earth to protect them as the statues fell. When they had collapsed, Katara ran out from the dome and used her water bending to freeze a small ramp at the edge of the moat so she could jump over the line of soldiers and land on the other side. She used her water bending to knock them over into the water of the moat. When the closest soldiers had fallen in, Katara used her water bending again to grab the soldiers from the top of the stairs that led up to the palace and throw them into the moat as well. As everyone else ran across the bridge over the moat, Aang used his air bending to freeze the water and trap the soldiers in the water.

Hoshiko let out a yelp and narrowly dodged a flying boulder before it hit the ground. Everyone looked up to see more soldiers were coming down the stairs towards them. Toph stepped in front of everyone and held up her hands. Hoshiko felt the earth shaking slightly as she prepared for whatever she was doing. Finally, Toph pulled her arms back to herself, and the stairs flattened out into a ramp that all the soldiers slid down. Aang and Toph bent up a slab of earth and used it as something of an elevator to go up the ramp, with Appa giving and extra push by pumping his huge tail up and down.

"Seriously! We're actually on your guys' side!" Sokka said to the soldiers sliding past them. Hoshiko rolled her eyes, knowing the soldiers wouldn't care if they were on their side or not, all that mattered was that they were invading the castle, "Sorry." When they reached the top of the stairs, more soldiers came on each side of them. Hoshiko stepped out in front of everyone and raised her arms, creating two, inky black walls and using them to push the soldiers back, letting everyone run through the entranceway to the palace. "In there!" Sokka said, they ran into the main entry room and they saw there were three other hallways leading to other rooms. Soldiers quickly ran into the room, Toph quickly used her earth bending to pin some of the soldiers to the ceiling, "Toph, which way to the Earth King?"

"How should I know?" Toph asked, "I'm still voting we _leave_ Ba-Sing-Se!" She used her earth bending again to throw back the other soldiers. Sokka ran from hallway to hallway, opening each door to see if it would lead him to the Earth King. After the third door, Hoshiko grabbed his ponytail to stop him from going any further.

"Ow!" Sokka cried.

"Sokka, when you're looking for somewhere _important_," She said, "It's probably going to have big, fancy _important_ doors!" She pointed to a pair of huge green doors with golden dragon-shaped handles, "Like that."

"Oh." Sokka said dumbly. He ran towards the door, letting out a battle cry as he jumped into the air, foot out, to try and kick it open. It didn't work, so he tried to push it open. Aang and Toph came over to him and earth bended the door down, making the two doors go flying into the room, Sokka with them. He sat up and looked back at the two, "A little warning next time?"

Everyone ran into the room, armed and ready for Long Feng and his Dai Lee as he stood next to the Earth King. The Dai Lee soldiers quickly came out, armed and ready, but they didn't make an attack.

"We need to talk to you!" Aang said to the Earth King.

"They're here to _overthrow_ you!" Long Feng said.

"No, we're on your side!" Sokka said, "We're here to help!"

"You have to trust us!" Katara said. The Earth King stood up from his throne.

"You invade my palace, lay waste to all my guards, break down my fancy door," He said, "And you expect me to _trust_ you?"

"He _does_ make a good point." Hoshiko said.

"If you're on my side," The Earth King continued, "Then drop your weapons and _stand down_." Everyone shared glances before doing as he asked. Aang threw down his staff, Katara put away her water, Toph put down the rock she had been holding up, Sokka put down his club, and Hoshiko released her hold on the shadow she had bent up.

"See? We're friends, your earthiness!" Aang said, smiling up at him. The Earth King did not smile back. Long Feng lifted his hand and the Dai Lee threw out their hands, shooting their earth gloves at each of their hands and cuffing them behind their backs.

"Detain the assailants." Long Feng ordered. The Dai Lee quickly ran forward and went behind each of them, grabbing their arms.

"But we dropped our weapons!" Sokka said, "We're your allies!"

"Make sure the avatar and his friends never see daylight again." Long Feng ordered, at the mention of the avatar, the Earth King's eyes widened.

"The avatar?" He repeated, "You're the avatar?" He pointed at Sokka.

"Ha!" Hoshiko laughed.

"Uh, no." Sokka said, glaring slightly at Hoshiko, "Him." He nodded his head to Aang.

"Over here." Aang said, lifting up his hands from the earth cuffs, and then putting them back.

"What does it matter, your highness?" Long Feng asked, "They're enemies of the state."

"Perhaps you're right…" The Earth King said. Hoshiko looked over at the Earth King's bear as it came over to Aang and started licking him. Aang laughed at the affection, and the Earth King smiled in appreciation, "Though, Bosco seems to like him." He looked back at Aang, "I'll hear what he has to say." Long Feng narrowed his eyes in anger.

"Well, sir," Aang began, stepping forward, "There's a war going on right now. For the past 100 years in fact. The Dai Lee's kept it a secret from you, it's a conspiracy to control the city, and to control _you_."

"A _secret war_?" The Earth King asked, "That's crazy!"

"Completely." Long Feng agreed.

"Long Feng didn't want us to tell you," Aang continued, "So he stole our sky bison to blackmail us. And blackmail is the _least_ of his crimes! He brainwashed our friend!"

"All lies." Long Feng said, "I've never even seen a sky bison, Your Majesty. Frankly, I thought they were extinct."

"Your claim is difficult to believe." The Earth King said, sitting on his throne, "Even from an avatar." Long Feng came over to him and spoke in his ear. Only Hoshiko could hear what he was saying.

"These hooligans are part of an anarchist cell that my agents have been tracking for weeks." He said, "If you listen to them, you're playing right into your own destruction."

"Liar!" Hoshiko called out, getting the Earth King's attention for the first time, "Anarchist cell my ass! You just don't want to get caught! Sneaky little-!"

"Hoshiko, _shut up_!" Sokka hissed, Hoshiko shut her mouth, "Do you want to get us into even more trouble?" Hoshiko growled lowly, her ears hooding back in anger as she glared at Long Feng.

"Is that… A Shinjun?" He asked, seeing her.

"Uh, _duh_." Hoshiko said dryly, "What else would I be?"

"I don't understand." The Earth King said, turning to Long Feng, "How did she get past the security?"

"I came in with _him_!" Hoshiko said, nodding her head to Aang.

"She is the only Shinjun within the city's walls." Long Feng said, "Even so, the Shinjuns are a _very_ dangerous race. Restrain her." Hoshiko let out a muffled scream when one of the Dai Lee put a ring of rocks around her mouth. The Earth King sat back on his throne.

"I have to trust my advisor." He said solemnly, Aang gaped at him as two Dai Lee agents came over to him and pulled him away.

"Wait!" Sokka said quickly, "I can prove he's lying! Long Feng said he's never seen a sky bison. Ask him to lift his robe."

"_What?_!" Long Feng exclaimed, "I am not disrobing!" Sokka looked to Aang slyly, and Aang nodded back at him. He took in a deep breath and blew out a huge gust of wind that lifted up Long Feng's robe, showing the bite mark from before.

"Right there!" Aang said, "Appa bit him!"

"Never met a sky bison, huh?" Sokka said slyly.

"That happens to be a large birthmark." Long Feng said as he pushed his robe down, "Thanks for showing everyone."

"Well, I suppose there's no way to prove where those marks came from." The Earth King said.

"Of course there is!" Sokka said, "Just let us bring in our bison and we can prove it!" The Earth King allowed it, and told the Dai Lee to release their cuffs, except for Hoshiko's, and let them bring in the bison. Aang had Appa open up his mouth, and he pointed to one of his teeth, then he went over to Long Feng, who had his robe lifted up and compared the teeth to the mark on his leg.

"Yep, that pretty much proves it." The Earth King said, "But it doesn't prove this crazy conspiracy theory." Hoshiko made a squealing noise through the rocks covering her mouth, and the Earth King looked over at her. He ordered the Dai Lee to let her speak, and they moved the rocks away.

"Give us a chance." She said, "After the way we came into your palace, you have every reason not to trust us. But believe us when we tell you that there _is_ a war going on, and it has done more damage than you can _ever_ know." The Earth King looked at her for a minute, studying her expression, then turned back to Aang.

"Though, I suppose this matter is worth looking into." He said.

* * *

"So this is what a train is like…" The Earth King mumbled, looking around at all the passengers, "I didn't realize it would be this… public."

"So, you've never been outside the upper ring before?" Katara asked him.

"I've never been outside the _palace_." The Earth King said, he turned his gaze to the window and smiled at the sight of Hoshiko and Aang riding on Appa just outside, "Now _that's_ the way to travel." He turned back to Sokka, "So, may I ask where we're going?"

"Underneath Lake Laogai, your Kingliness." Sokka said, "To the Dai Lee's secret headquarters. You're about to see where all the brainwashing and conspiring took place."

* * *

Aang looked over at Hoshiko, who was laying comfortably on Appa's bare back while he rode at his head.

"Hoshiko?" She looked over at him, "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah." She said sarcastically, "The Earth King is just convinced that every Shinjun he meets is some horrible, bloodthirsty terrorist. I'm freakin' _peachy_!" She rolled over onto her stomach, angrily gripping onto Appa's fur. Aang frowned.

"I'm sure he doesn't think that." Aang said, Hoshiko pushed herself up.

"Didn't you hear the way he talked to Long Feng about me?" She asked, "I bet you Long Feng's the reason Shinjuns aren't allowed in Ba-Sing-Se! That jerk!" She turned back over on her back, "I can't wait to bring that guy down."

* * *

When they reached the lake, Toph walked over to where the tunnel had been the previous day, and tried to bend it back up. Instead of a tunnel, she only bent up a pile of rocks from under the water.

"It's gone!" She exclaimed.

"Oh, don't tell me-!" Sokka moaned, he sighed and calmed himself, "That's okay, still got my positive attitude." Hoshiko rolled her eyes.

"The Dai Lee must have known that we were coming and destroyed the evidence!" Katara said.

"That seems _awfully_ convenient." The Earth King said suspiciously.

"Hey! If anything, this proves the conspiracy exists even more!" Sokka said. The Earth King shook his head.

"Long Feng was right." He said, "This was a waste of time." He turned around, and his bodyguards followed, "If you'll excuse me, I'm going back to the palace." Hoshiko bit her lip, thinking of some way to help the Earth King believe them, and an idea struck her like lightening.

"We have to show him the wall." Hoshiko said to the others, "There's no way the Dai Lee can cover _that_ up in time!"

"Oh, yeah!" Aang said, he jumped up with air bending and landed in front of the Earth King. "If you come with us to the outer wall, we can prove to you that the secret war is real!"

"No Earth King has ever been to the outer wall." The Earth King said sternly, walking past Aang, "I don't have any more time for this nonsense." Aang pouted sadly.

"Wait!" Sokka cried, running towards the Earth King, "If you come with us, this time you can ride on _Appa~_." That made the Earth King stop. Appa grunted, getting the royal's attention. The Earth King grinned in excitement.

* * *

"AAAHHHHH!" The Earth King wailed as Appa took off. Hoshiko groaned and buried her face into Appa's fur, trying to muffle the sound of his screams of fear.

"First time flying?" Toph asked him.

"It's both thrilling, and terrifying." He said to the blind earth bender.

Toph smiled, "Yeah, I hate it, too." She put her head back down, still gripping tightly to Appa's fur. The Earth King looked over at where Aang was sitting at Appa's head.

"I have to be honest with you," The Earth King said, "Part of me really hopes that what you're telling me about this war… isn't true."

"I wish it wasn't." Aang said, "But it is. The Fire Nation is responsible for the extermination of the air benders, and they've taken any Shinjuns they can into slavery." The Earth King looked over at Hoshiko.

"Slavery?" He repeated, she looked over at him.

"Yeah, I was one." She said, scowling angrily at the thought of the Fire Nation, "And they killed off my tribe, and my family."

The Earth King was silent, "…I'm sorry." Hoshiko scoffed.

"There was nothing that could be done." She said, "So don't be sorry."

As they flew over the land separating the inner and outer walls, they finally came to the outer wall, and as they came to the outside of it, the group saw exactly what they had been searching for.

"It's still there!" Aang said happily, pointing to where the Fire Nation drill incident had occurred. The remains of the drill had been hidden by walls surrounding it, but not above it, so they had a perfect view of the machine.

"What is that?" The Earth King asked in awe.

"It's a drill." Sokka said, "A giant drill made by the Fire Nation to break through your walls." The Earth King covered his mouth in shock. Aang, deciding Appa was a little bit tired, brought him to land on the outer wall. Everyone jumped off the bison to see the damage the drill had inflicted. The Earth King looked over the edge of the wall, with an expression of sorrow on his face.

"I can't _believe_ I never knew." He lamented, hanging his head in shame. A rumbling sound caught everyone's attention and they looked to see Long Feng, and two Dai Lee agents ride up a small earth elevator through the wall to where they were standing.

"I can explain this, your majesty." Long Feng said smoothly as he walked forward, "This is nothing more than… a construction project!"

"_Really_?" Katara drawled out, walking over to Long Feng with her hands planted on her hips, "Then, perhaps you could explain why there's a Fire Nation insignia on your 'construction project'." The Earth King looked down at the insignia and scowled at Long Feng.

"Well, it's imported, of course!" Long Feng said, "You know you can't trust domestic machinery." He looked back at the Earth King, and frowned when he saw how he still scowled at him, "Surely, you don't believe these children, instead of your most loyal attendant!" The Earth King looked over at the group of kids, then back at Long Feng. He closed his eyes and took in a small breath before speaking.

"Dai Lee, arrest Long Feng." He ordered, "I want him to stand trial for crimes against the Earth Kingdom." Everyone gaped at the Earth King, amazed that he was going to have Long Feng arrested. The two Dai Lee agents shot out a pair of earth cuffs and put them on Long Feng's wrists, pulling him towards them.

"You can't arrest _me_!" Long Feng said, "You all need me more than you know!" The Dai Lee dragged him away and the little avatar gang smiled at each other.

"Looks like Long _Feng_ is long _gone_!" Sokka said happily, laughing at his own joke, "Yeah, I've been waiting to use that one."

"Too bad it sucks." Hoshiko said, everyone laughed at her words, except Sokka, who scowled.

* * *

Later on, they went back to the palace, where the Earth King sat on his throne.

"I want to thank you, young heroes," He said, "For opening my eyes. All this time, what I thought was a great metropolis, was merely a city of fools." He hung his head slightly, "And that makes me the _king_ fool." Bosco let out a soft growl as he lay at the Earth King's feet. The Earth King put his hand to his head in shame, "We're at war. With the _Fire Nation_!"

"That's why we came to Ba-Sing-Se, Your Highness." Sokka said, the Earth King looked up as he spoke, "Because we think you can help us _end_ the war."

"We don't have much time." Aang said, "There's a comet coming this summer. Its energy will give the fire benders _unbelievable_ strength." The Earth King linked his fingers together as he listened interestedly to Aang, "They'll be unstoppable."

"But there _is_ hope!" Sokka said, "Before the comet comes, we have a window of opportunity. A solar eclipse is coming. The sun will be entirely blocked out by the moon, and the fire benders will be helpless."

"What are you suggesting, Sokka?" The Earth King asked.

"That's the day we need to invade the Fire Nation." Sokka said, the Earth King's eyes widened, "The day of Black Sun."

"…I don't know." The Earth King said, "That would require moving troops out of Ba-Sing-Se, we'd be completely vulnerable!"

"You're _already _vulnerable!" Hoshiko said, "The Fire Nation will not stop until Ba-Sing-Se falls. Now, you can either sit on that throne, and watch it happen, or take the offensive and give yourself a fighting chance!" The Earth King thought for a moment, and then smiled.

"Very well," He said, "You have my support."

"YES!" Sokka cheered happily, throwing his arms up in the air. Aang made himself an air scooter and rode around Sokka, Hoshiko, Katara, and Toph as they hugged each other in joy. The celebration was cut short by someone coming into the throne room.

"Your Majesty," The man said, everyone turned to see a man with a long, brown beard walking towards them in an Earth Kingdom General's uniform, "I apologize for the interruption." He kneeled down before the king.

"This is General How," The Earth King introduced, "The leader of the Council of Five; my highest-ranking generals." General How lifted his head up to the Earth King.

"We searched Long Feng's office," He said, "I think we've found something that will interest everybody." Everyone exchanged curious glances.

* * *

Hoshiko looked over at the soldier as he walked into the library, carrying a small, green chest in his hands. The Earth King sat at a table as he brought them in, everyone else stood.

"There are secret files on everyone in Ba-Sing-Se." General How said, he looked over at Aang, "Including you kids."

"Secret files?" Aang said in surprise. The Earth King opened the chest, which was full of scrolls, and pulled on out, reading the name written on it.

"Toph Bei-Fong." He said, he handed the scroll to General How, who handed it to Toph, who handed it to Katara to read for her.

"It's a letter from your mom." Katara said, scanning over the words, "Your mom's here in the city, and she wants to see you!" Toph's eyes widened.

"Long Feng intercepted our letters from home?" Toph asked, she shook her head, "That's just sad." The Earth King reached into the chest again, pulling out another scroll.

"Aang." He said, handing it to him.

"This scroll was attached to the horn of your bison when the Dai Lee captured it." General How explained. Aang opened up the scroll and scanned over it.

"It's from the Eastern Air Temple," He said with a smile. The Earth King reached in again and pulled out another scroll.

"Hoshiko." He said, handing it to her, she unwrapped the scroll and scanned over it, smiling when she saw it was Xana's handwriting.

"It's from Xana." She said, "She said she's made it to the Shinjun encampment, and…" She paused, staring at the letter. Everyone looked at her concernedly as her eyes began to well up in tears and she covered her mouth in shock.

"What is it?" Aang asked urgently, Hoshiko took her hand away from her mouth so she could speak, a smile plastered onto her face.

"She's found Kotaro!" She exclaimed happily, tears of joy running down her cheeks, "And my mother! They're alive!" She hugged the letter tightly to her chest in joy, wiping away her tears. Toph patted her shoulder with a smile as Hoshiko rolled the scroll back up.

Katara leaned over the table, a hopeful smile on her face, "Is there a… letter for me and Sokka, by any chance?" She asked. The Earth King rummaged through the chest, and looked up at the two siblings.

"I'm afraid not." He said sadly. They glanced at each other sadly.

"Oh." Sokka murmured.

"But there is an intelligence report that might interest you." General How said, handing Katara the scroll. She took it and opened it up, reading it.

"A small fleet of Water Tribe ships?" She breathed, reading the report.

"What?" Sokka exclaimed, "That could be Dad!"

Katara kept reading, "Protecting the mouth of Chameleon Bay… Led by Hakoda! It _is_ Dad!" She and Sokka hugged each other in joy. The Earth King smiled at the group and stood up.

"I'll give you five some time to talk." He said, "Come, General." The general nodded once.

"Yes, Your Highness." He said, following him out of the library. Everyone sat down, carefully reading over every word in their scrolls (Except for Toph, who had Katara read hers aloud).

When they had finished, they all sat around in a circle, relaying back to the others what their letters had said.

"I can't believe it," Aang said, "There's a man living at the Eastern Air Temple. He says he's a guru!"

"What's a guru?" Sokka asked, "Some kind of poisonous blowfish?"

"A guru is a spiritual expert, dimwit." Hoshiko said, Sokka stuck his tongue out immaturely at her, and she did the same to him.

"He wants to help me take the next step in the avatar journey." Aang continued, "He says he can teach me to control the avatar state!"

"And I can't believe we know where our dad is now!" Katara exclaimed.

"Tell me about it." Hoshiko said, hugging her letter close to her like a child would a stuffed animal, "I can't believe Kota and everyone's been in the encampment outside of Ba-Sing-Se. They've been so close to me this whole time, and I never even knew!"

"I know what you mean," Toph said, "My mom's in the city, and from her letter, it sounds like she _finally_ understands me!"

"This is all such big news!" Sokka said, "Where do we even start?"

"I hate to say it, but," Katara began, "We have to split up."

"Split up?" Aang repeated in shock, "We just found Appa and got the family back together! Now, you want us to _separate?_!"

"You have to meet this guru, Aang." Katara said, "If we're gonna invade the Fire Nation, you need to be ready."

Aang thought for a moment, "Well, if I'm going to the Eastern Air Temple, Appa and I could drop you off at the encampment to see your family," He looked at Hoshiko when he said this, "And then drop you off at Chameleon Bay to see your dad!"

"Someone has to stay here with the Earth King and help him plan for the invasion." Sokka said, he stood up, "I guess that's me."

"No, Sokka," Katara said, standing up as well, "I know how badly you wanna help Dad. You go to Chameleon Bay, I'll stay here with the king." Sokka smiled at his sister, tears welling up in his eyes. He went over to her, his feet going up and down in excitement.

"You… are the _nicest_… sister… _ever_!" He planted a big sloppy kiss on her cheek.

"_Easy_ there, big brother." Katara said, pushing him away. She smiled to herself, "Though, you're right. I am."

"So, then." Hoshiko said, standing up, "We'll all spend one last night in Ba-Sing-Se, then tomorrow, we'll head off on our trips."

* * *

Hoshiko turned over again in her sleep, trying to sleep on her side. She sighed and moved onto her back, staring up at the ceiling with a smile. She couldn't sleep, she was too excited! Tomorrow she was going to see her mother, her best friend, and the love of her life all in one day! She couldn't stop thinking about it. She sat up in bed and walked out of her room, deciding that getting a glass of water might help her sleep a little easier. As she walked into the kitchen, she was surprised to see a few candles had been lit, and even more surprised to see Sokka sitting at a table, drinking his own glass of water. He looked at her as she came in and smiled.

"Can't sleep?" He asked her, she nodded, smiling back.

"I'm too excited." She said, taking a glass from the cupboard, "I can't stop thinking about tomorrow."

"Me either." Sokka said, he looked down at the liquid in his glass, "I'm finally going to see my dad again, after so long…!" Hoshiko smiled at him as she poured water from a nearby pitcher into the glass.

"I know what you mean." Hoshiko said, coming over and sitting next to him, "So, when you see your dad, are you going to help him fight?"

"Absolutely." Sokka said, "I'll do everything I can to help my dad." Hoshiko nodded once.

"Then, I guess…" She looked down at the water in her own glass, "These are probably our last couple days together."

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked.

"Don't you remember?" Hoshiko asked him, "The only reason I started travelling with you guys was to find my family. Once I get to the encampment, I'll have no more reason to see any of you ever again." Sokka looked at the ground sadly.

"Oh… Yeah." He said, "But you could still travel with us. You know, for the sake of taking down the Fire Nation." Hoshiko smiled at him.

"I suppose I could." She said, "Out of the goodness of my heart." Sokka chuckled, he raised his glass.

"To the Fire Nation's downfall." He said, Hoshiko smiled and raised her own glass.

"To reuniting with family." Their glasses clinked and they chugged down their water. When they were done, they slammed their glasses on the table, laughing together like a pair of idiots.

* * *

The next morning, everyone was preparing to leave on the palace grounds, receiving a royal send-off from the Earth King. Hoshiko stretched her limbs out as she looked up at the clear sky, the smile feeling permanently plastered to her face. She looked over at Katara, who was nuzzling her face into Appa's leg to say goodbye before the big beast took off. Aang went over to her.

"Katara?" She looked over at him, "I need to tell you something." Hoshiko's ears pricked up as he spoke, seeing his blushing face, "I've been wanting to say it for a long time…"

"What is it, Aang?" Katara asked. Hoshiko watched the couple with interest, was Aang about to confess his love for Katara? Finally?

"Katara… I-" Sokka ran over and put Aang in a friendly headlock, giving him a noogie.

"Alright! Who's ready to get goin' on our little men-only man trip?" Sokka asked. Hoshiko and Katara scowled at him.

"Hey, genius," Hoshiko said, coming over to him, "I'm coming on this 'men-only man trip' too, in case you forgot."

"I meant only the human men, Hoshiko." Sokka said sincerely, Hoshiko looked at him suspiciously, not believing him. She looked over at Toph.

"Toph, is he telling the truth?" She asked.

Toph smirked, "Nope." Hoshiko turned back to Sokka, bending up a shadowy ball.

"I'll give you a ten second head start." She said, an intimidating smile on her face. Sokka released Aang from the head lock and backed away slowly, then ran. "1… 10!" She threw the ball at him, laughing when it hit the back of his head and made him fall over.

"That was _not_ ten seconds!" Sokka shouted, getting up. Hoshiko was about to retort, when the Earth King came over to them and spoke.

"Aang, Hoshiko, and Sokka," He said, getting their attention, "I wish you a good journey. Ba-Sing-Se owes you its thanks. And, to show it, I'm going to lift the ban on Shinjuns entering the city," Hoshiko smiled at him, "As the first of many tokens of my appreciation." He smiled at the group, "We look forward to your safe return." The group smiled at him and bowed respectfully. Sokka went over to Appa and began climbing up onto his back as a soldier came up to the Earth King.

"Your Majesty, there are three female warriors here to see you." He said, "They're from the Island of Kyoshi."

"That's Suki!" Sokka exclaimed in surprise, falling off the bison.

"You know these warriors?" The Earth King asked, Sokka stood up.

"Oh, yeah. The Kyoshi warriors are a skilled group of fighters." Sokka said, "Trustworthy, too. They're good friends of ours." The Earth King nodded.

"Then we shall welcome them as honored guests." The soldier who gave him the news bowed and walked away, preparing to welcome the three warriors. Aang began to walk towards Appa, and Katara stopped him.

"Wait, Aang." She ran over to him and hugged him, putting a kiss on his cheek as she pulled away.

"I'm really gonna miss you guys." Toph said, Katara, Aang and Hoshiko came over to her and pulled her into a group hug.

"Me, too." Katara said.

"Yeah." Aang agreed. Hoshiko simply nuzzled the small girl's head with a smile.

They looked over at Sokka, who had opted out of the group hug. They all exchanged glances before running over to him and pulling him into their hug.

"Great." Sokka said, "That's enough!" No one pulled away, "Okay, we love each other." Still, no one pulled away. He patted Aang and Katara's heads, "Seriously."

* * *

Hoshiko waved goodbye to Toph and Katara as she, Aang, and Sokka took off into the air on Appa. Once they were out of sight, Hoshiko turned to face the front of the bison as they rode.

"You see, guys?" Sokka said as they flew over the inner wall, "A little positive thinking works wonders. We got the king on our side, we got Long Feng arrested, and when we get back, Suki's waiting for me." Hoshiko rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah…" Aang mumbled, "Girls are waiting for us."

"Thank you, positive attitude!" Hoshiko exclaimed, throwing her hands up.

"Everything's gonna work out perfectly!" Sokka said, "From now on, and forever!" Hoshiko and Aang smiled at him.

* * *

**Next chapter is when Kotaro and Hoshiko reunite! Hooray! ^_^**


	23. The Guru

23

Hoshiko looked over the side of the bison as they flew over the outer wall. She looked over at the plains as Aang flew the bison closer to a large encampment about five miles outside the outer wall of Ba-Sing-Se.

"Wow…" Sokka said, looking at it, "It's huge."

"How big did you think it was gonna be?" Hoshiko asked him. Sokka shrugged.

"I dunno." He said. Aang brought Appa down near the edge of the encampment. The Shinjuns in the encampment noticed the bison right away, not used to seeing such a large creature. A crowd began to gather around the bison as Hoshiko picked up her things.

"Hey, Hoshiko," Aang said, catching her attention, "Can we meet your friends?"

"Sure." Hoshiko said, strapping her bag to her back.

"What?" Sokka whined, "What about Chameleon Bay?"

"It's just a quick stop, Sokka." Aang said, jumping off the bison when Hoshiko did, "Besides, how often is it that you get to visit a Shinjun encampment?"

"Oh, _fine_…" Sokka grumbled, sliding off Appa. A tall Shinjun came out from the crowd. He was a Shinjun of Avian descent, with a sharp beak on his face, and feathers decorating his head and arms. When Hoshiko saw his headband with the small red jewel just over his forehead, she bowed to him.

"Greetings, travellers," He said, "I am Iguru, Chief of this encampment. What brings you here?"

"It's an honor to meet you," Aang said, bowing, "We're here to re-unite our friend with her friends and family." Hoshiko raised her head when Aang spoke of her.

"What is your name, child?" Iguru asked her.

"My name is Hoshiko," She said, "These are my friends Sokka, and Aang." The chief looked over at Aang.

"I thought I recognized those tattoos." He said, "You are the avatar, are you not?" Aang nodded.

"Yes." The chief bowed to him.

"It is a great honor to meet you." He said, "Who is it that you are searching for?"

"With all due respect, Chief," Hoshiko said, "I think it won't be too hard to find them." She walked past him and closer to the crowd and shouted, "I'm looking for a Reptilian girl named Xana?"

"That's _me_!" A squealing voice shouted from far away, a scaly, clawed hand raised in the air. A few grunts were heard as the person suddenly pushed through the crowd, as she got closer, the three kids began to hear the words she was saying as she pushed past them, "Excuse me. Pardon me. One-side!" She finally came into view as she pushed a couple apart near the front of the crowd, "_Best friend_ of the friend of the avatar, coming through!" She looked over at Hoshiko and smiled, each one of her incredibly sharp teeth showing in her smile. She squealed excitedly, jumping up and down on her feet, "_Hoshiiiiiiiii!_!"

"Xana!" Hoshiko cried happily, holding her arms out openly for a hug. The reptilian ran into her arms with such force that she knocked Hoshiko to the ground. Hoshiko laughed when the reptilian nuzzled her blonde head against her cheek. The chief smiled at the two girls, then he turned to the crowd and waved them away, telling them that there was nothing more to see. Aang smiled at the two girls, while Sokka looked impatient for them to get up. Hoshiko laughed and pushed herself up, with the reptilian girl still clinging to her neck. "Okay, Xana. Let go, I can't drag you around all day."

"Why didn't you respond to my letter _faster?_!" Xana whined, "We all got so _worried_!" She hugged Hoshiko's neck tighter, and Hoshiko coughed.

"Can't… _breathe_…!" She gasped, Xana gasped and instantly released her. Hoshiko took in deep breaths, her hand over her chest. She smiled at Xana, "I see you still have that iron grip of yours." Xana smiled and nodded vigorously, standing up as Hoshiko did. She looked over at Aang and Sokka. She started poking Hoshiko in the side where she knew she was ticklish.

"Introduce me! Introduce me! Introduce me! Introduce me!" She said each time she poked her, Hoshiko squirmed wildly, trying to avoid Xana's pointed fingers as they kept switching sides. She laughed as she kept going.

"_Okay_! Okay, stop!" Hoshiko laughed, Xana stopped instantly and waited patiently as Hoshiko collected herself, rubbing her sides, "Xana, these are my friends Aang," Aang smiled at her, "And Sokka."

"Hey." Sokka said, raising his hand in greeting.

"Guys, this is my friend, Xana." Hoshiko said, Xana smiled, all her sharp teeth showing as she went over to Sokka, who flinched as she seemed to suddenly pop up next to him.

"Hi." She said, holding out a clawed hand for Sokka to shake. Sokka cautiously took it, looking warily at her sharp teeth, "I like your ponytail."

"It's a warrior's wolf tail." Sokka corrected, Hoshiko snorted in laughter, "And I, uh… like your… teeth." Xana gasped happily, and put her hands to each of her cheeks, turning away with a light, happy blush.

"_Oh~_! You're so sweet to notice!" She cooed, "I just had them sharpened yesterday. I'm so glad you like them!" She turned to Hoshiko, "I like your friends. They're nice." Hoshiko smiled at her.

"I'm glad to hear that." She said, Hoshiko looked over at the many, many tents in the encampment. Xana cocked her head to the side curiously.

"What is it?" She asked, Hoshiko looked back at her.

"Is… Is he here?" She asked quietly.

"He who?" Xana asked, and then she laughed, "I'm _kidding_! Of course I know he who!" She started walking, "He's this way." Hoshiko, Sokka, and Aang followed her as they moved through the crowd of Shinjuns to a small red tent that would have never been noticed by the group. Hoshiko stood at the entrance, feeling her heart race in her chest. Xana stepped aside with an eager smile, "He's in here."

"Okay, and this _he_ is…" Sokka said.

"Who else?" Xana asked, "Hoshiko's _hanbun tamashi_, Kotaro!"

"What are you waiting for?" Aang asked, seeing that Hoshiko hadn't moved, her hand clenching over her chest, "Go on!" He pushed her forward, wanting her to go and see this person she cared about so much. Hoshiko looked up at the tent, then sighed.

"What if…" She said quietly, "What if he's changed?" She turned around to face her friends, "I mean, two years is a long time! What if he changed his mind about me?"

Xana gasped, "Hoshiko, bite your tongue!" She came up next to her, "This is _Kotaro_ we're talking about! He would never, ever, _ever_ change his mind! Not about _you_! Every day since he came here, all he's asked about is you, so don't you _dare_ think that he doesn't care about you anymore!" Hoshiko looked at her friend, and nodded.

"Okay." She took in a deep breath and moved aside the flap of the tent that acted as a door. Xana pushed Aang and Sokka forward.

"You don't want to miss this." She said, pushing them inside. When they came in, they saw Hoshiko standing completely still as she stared at the back of a Shinjun a few feet away, who was fiddling with something. Hoshiko took a deep breath in and out, and stepped closer to him.

"Kotaro?" She asked quietly.

"Xana, I _told_ you," Kotaro said in annoyance, "Your canteen will be fixed when it's fixed, so stop asking."

"No, Kota," Hoshiko said with a small smile, "It's me." Kotaro froze and turned around. He looked at Hoshiko with wide eyes and slowly stood up. He walked over to her, staring at her in awe. Hoshiko smiled at him. "Hi."

"Hoshiko…" Kotaro murmured, reaching for her face and gently cupping it in his hand, "I'm… I'm not dreaming again, am I?" Hoshiko let out a small laugh.

"No." She said, Kotaro smiled widely and pulled her into his arms, embracing her tightly. Hoshiko returned it full force, small drops of tears working their way out of her eyes. Kotaro held her tightly against him, afraid that if he let her go, she would disappear from him again. Hoshiko nuzzled slightly into Kotaro's tunic, happy to have the one she loved back in her arms. Xana looked at the couple with a happy smile, and Aang smiled at them as well. Sokka looked more impatient than happy for the couple.

Sokka looked at the scene for a second more, then back at Xana, "_This_ is what we weren't supposed to miss?" The two teens broke apart in surprise at the sound of his voice, "We have a schedule to keep!" Xana pouted.

"Oh, you're no fun." She said, Hoshiko smirked.

"He's _never_ any fun." Hoshiko said.

"Hey!" Sokka whined at her, "I can be fun!"

"Who are you?" Kotaro asked, looking at the two boys in his tent.

"Kota, this is Sokka," Hoshiko waved her hand at him, "And Aang. They're friends of mine, they've kind of been looking after me since I joined their group about two months ago." Hoshiko gestured back to Kotaro, "Guys, this is Kotaro, my _hanbun tamashi_."

"Nice to finally meet you," Aang said, reaching out to shake his hand, "Hoshiko's said nothing but good things."

"Hey!" Kotaro exclaimed, recognizing him, "You're-"

"The avatar, I know." Aang said, he smiled at Hoshiko, "Looks like you're in good hands, Hoshiko. We'll be heading out." Hoshiko nodded.

"See you in a week." She said, waving goodbye to the two. Aang nodded and he and Sokka went out. Xana followed them out of the tent, and when Hoshiko went to see them off, Kotaro grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, his lips crashing against hers with such force that Hoshiko was frozen in shock. She felt her insides warm as he held her to him, one hand gently holding her face, the other going around her waist.

When he pulled away, he smiled at her, "I've been waiting two years for that." Hoshiko stared at him, stunned for a moment, then nodded slowly. He let her go and she smiled a smile that only a love-struck teenager could make. A goofy, yet unbelievably happy smile. She tried to walk backwards towards the exit, but stumbled on a pillow that was lying on the ground. She quickly got her footing back before she fell, and she laughed nervously, turning to the door. Her hand rested on the flap that acted as the tent's door as she looked back at Kotaro. She smiled and bit her lip, looking him up and down, noting all the changes in his appearance that she liked. She gave him a small wave, and he waved back with a smile and she giggled slightly as she stepped out. When she had left Kotaro smiled widely and pumped his arms victoriously, whispering "Yes!" to himself.

* * *

Hoshiko waved goodbye to Aang and Sokka as they took off on Appa to Chameleon bay. She turned back to her friends, "So, Xana, I imagine you have a bunch of stuff planned for me since I got here."

"_Oh_, yeah." Xana said, taking her hand, "I got tons of stuff planned for you."

"Uh, Xana," Kotaro began with a smirk, "Don't you want to tell Hoshiko about that _thing_ you learned since you came to the encampment?" Xana froze in her tracks, turning and glaring at the wolf Shinjun.

"_No_. Because Hoshi doesn't need to know about _that_." Xana said through clenched teeth at him.

"Oh, I think she does." Kotaro said with a smug smirk.

"Know what?" Hoshiko asked, wondering what the two of them were talking about. Kotaro turned to her with that same smirk.

"Well, Xana-" The reptilian girl smacked her hand over his mouth.

"_Nothing!_" She said quickly, "Nothing at all! It's _nothing_, so let's just leave it at _nothing_!" She directed the last part of her statement to Kotaro, who still smirked behind her hand. He reached up and poked her side, making her twitch violently and release him.

"Tickle her!" He said to Hoshiko, and he began tickling Xana, she began laughing a high-pitched, squealing laugh as she tried to push him away. Hoshiko watched the two, dumbfounded, until Kotaro shouted, "What are you waiting for? Come on!" Hoshiko nodded and went over to her friend, tickling the side opposite Kotaro. Xana's laughs became even louder and squeakier as they kept going. She kept begging them to stop, but they did not relent. Soon, she fell to the ground in laughter, Hoshiko and Kotaro still tickling her.

"Stop!" She cried through her laughter, tears coming out of her eyes, "Stop it! Ha, ha! You're gonna make it come out! _Hee, hee, hee, hee_! Stop! Stop it!" Suddenly, Xana's neck seemed to extend and Hoshiko jumped back in surprise, and Kotaro jumped back because he was done. Hoshiko covered her mouth as she tried to cover up her laughter at the sight of her friend. Xana, it seemed, had frills on her neck, and they now stood out for everyone to see. Her blonde hair had gotten caught on the ends of it, making it look like it spiked off of her head. Xana blushed embarrassedly.

The Shinjun couple shared one glance with each other before looking back at Xana, then bursting into laughter, holding their stomachs as they began to roll on the ground. Xana's blush deepened as she pushed the frills back down.

"Shut up!" She said angrily at the two of them, "It's not that funny!" They didn't stop laughing and she scowled as she fixed her hair back in place. Hoshiko stood up, her laughter dying out as she patted her friend's shoulder.

"Sorry, Xana." She apologized, "But, you have to admit, that _is_ pretty funny." Xana turned away.

"Was not," She said, pouting like a child and crossing her arms across her chest. Hoshiko smiled.

"Was too," She said, Xana glared at her.

"Was not!" She argued.

"Was too!" Hoshiko said back, smiling at her.

"Was _not_!" Xana said, squealing like a child.

"Was _too_!" Hoshiko said, mimicking her voice. Kotaro watched the scene between the two with a smile.

"Was not! And if you say it was, I'll yank your tail so hard, it'll come off!" Xana said, Hoshiko backed off from her friend.

"Okay, okay, sorry." She said. Kotaro came up next to her, linking his fingers through hers.

"Xana, with all due respect," He said, he smirked a little, "Which isn't much," Xana scowled at him, "I think there's someone else Hoshiko needs to see before she does anything else."

"Who?" Xana asked, Kotaro gave her a stern look, and she gained a look of realization, "_Oh_… right." She started walking away, "In that case, I'll just head over to the Chief. He wants some help with the bonfire tonight." She turned her back and started heading back to her tent, Hoshiko looked over at Kotaro.

"Kota?" She gave him a questioning look. He smiled softly down at her.

"Come on." He pulled her along to where a small, white tent waited alone, guarded by a reptilian man. Kotaro went over to him, "How is she?"

"Hard to tell." The man replied, "She's been pretty quiet for a while, though. She might be resting." Kotaro nodded.

"Thank you." He said, he pulled Hoshiko as he went through the tent's door, holding it open for her. She looked around the tent, her eyes widening slightly when she saw a bed with a badly burned figure resting on it. A long, slightly balding black tail poked out from under the blanket the person was under. Two black ears stuck out from their head, which had been burned in different places, leaving many disgusting burns across their scalp where hair would no longer grow. The skin across what she could see of their face was red, with darkened purple spots of where their skin had died, but refused to come off of their body. The person was lying on their side when they came in, seeming to be asleep, but at the sound of their entrance, they turned their head, their crystalline blue eyes gazing at them. Their face had been badly burned as well, their skin had reddened, with red splotches along the planes of their cheeks and neck.

"Kotaro…" The woman at the bed murmured, her voice weak. Her eyes looked to Hoshiko, and they widened slightly.

Hoshiko looked to Kotaro confusedly at the sight of the person, and he looked back at her with a soft smile. "Hoshiko," He began, "Would you like to say hello to her?" Hoshiko looked at the woman, who had turned over, so they could see her face as she gave them a weak smile. It seemed her entire body had been thrown into a fire, causing her entire skin to look a painful shade of red with darkened patches of where the burns had either gotten more intense, or where the skin had died and refused to come off of her body.

"Kota, I don't know who she is." Hoshiko said to him, Kotaro frowned slightly, but the woman didn't seem to notice, reaching a hand that had only been burnt down to her forearm. Her wrist and her fingers were still intact. Her chest, shoulders, as was the rest of her body minus the neck up.

"Hoshiko…" She said weakly, her eyes welling up in tears as she held out her hand to her, "My daughter…" Hoshiko's eyes widened as she stared at the figure who said she was her daughter. Her eyes began to well up in her own tears as she realized it was her own mother that was speaking to her. She covered her mouth in shock as her tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Mom…" She whispered, rushing over to the side of her mother's bed, taking her hand in both of hers, "Mama…" Hoshiko's mother reached out with her other hand, which was only lightly burned, and caressed her cheek with it.

"Hoshiko…" Hikari said weakly, tears streaming out of her own eyes. Hoshiko closed her eyes as she held her mother's hand to her face, "My darling daughter…" Hoshiko opened her eyes and looked at her mother's burned face. She began to cry harder at the sight of her burns.

"Oh, Mama…" She cried, "What have they done to you…?" She began to sob, burying her face in the bed. Hikari's hand went around, holding the back of her daughter's head. She brought her face next to hers, crying alongside her.

"Oh, Hoshiko." She cried, petting her hair, gently shushing her. Kotaro, seeing that he was not needed here, quietly left the two alone in the tent.

Hoshiko lifted her head and looked at her mother, "How did this happen? What did those fire benders do to you?" Hikari closed her eyes as the memory returned to her.

* * *

_"Hoshiko!" Hikari cried, searching for their daughter among the village, seeing the Fire Nation soldiers burning different houses to the ground. "Hoshiko!"_

_"Hikari!" Akira shouted to his wife, running over to her, "We have to go!"_

_"I'm not going without my daughter!" Hikari said, Akira looked at her in surprise, as if he didn't even know she was missing. Hikari pulled her hand away and started running into the village, "Hoshiko!" She ran, not seeing that Kotaro had grabbed Hoshiko and was pulling her away from the soldiers, "HOSHIKO!" She ran to their house, finding that it was burning into the ground. Tears began to stream down her face at the thought that her daughter had been inside when it had begun burning. _

_Her heart almost stopped when she heard stomping against the ground behind her, and she turned to see a Fire Nation soldier coming towards her on a rhino. Her eyes widened as she saw him lift his fist, preparing to blast her with fire._

_"HIKARI!" A voice shouted to her, Akira jumped in front of her, bringing up a thick, black shadowy tentacle towards the fire bender to knock him off, but the soldier blasted through it, and had it go straight through to Akira. Hikari cried out his name as she saw him being burned alive. Only a second later did the soldier aim for her and her clothes caught fire. She shrieked in pain, falling to the ground, trying to put the fires out as the soldier galloped off from the two of them._

…

_Hikari felt unbelievable pain as her skin, while no longer in flames, still burned against her body. Tears came from her eyes as she stared at the blackened remains of her husband lying before her. She reached out an unburned hand to him, her limb shaking as she reached out for his hand, grasping it in hers._

_"Akira…" She murmured tearfully. A shadow cast itself over her body. She did nothing in response to it. If it was a fire bender come to finish the job they started, she would welcome it, then, at least, she'd be with the ones she loved._

_"This one's alive!" A voice shouted, Hikari glanced up to see it was an Avian Shinjun. After a moment, another one appeared, looking down at her._

_"Can you speak?" He asked her, Hikari tried to open her mouth, but felt extreme pain when she tried, a small whimper escaping her lips instead of words. The man turned around, "Someone bring a stretcher!" Moments later, someone was carefully lifting her up on the stretcher, and carrying her away. The man from before came up to her, and he looked at her concernedly, "Are you alright?" She couldn't answer him. It was too painful, being burnt up as she was, and being without those she loved._

* * *

"For so long, I thought you were dead." Hikari said, she reached up and gently petted her daughter's ear, as she knew she liked, "Until Xana came to me, telling me you were alive… I was so happy." Hoshiko looked at her mother, tears pouring down her cheeks. She lay her head down beside her mother's, closing her eyes.

"I missed you, Mama." She murmured. Hikari gave her a small smile, and continued to pet her ear.

"I missed you, too." Hikari murmured.

* * *

"Is she still in there?" Xana asked Kotaro as he sat outside of the tent that held Hoshiko's mother. She held up her lantern to see him nod his head, for night had fallen, and other than the lantern's that were lit around the encampment, the lighting around the white tent wasn't very good.

"Yeah, they're still talking." He said, he stood up, "Why? You want to talk to her?"

"The Chief's calling everyone together." Xana said, pointing her thumb at where a bonfire was being lit, "We're celebrating our new arrivals this week."

"Oh, right…" Kotaro said, reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck uneasily, "I forgot that was today." He looked up at Xana, "Should I get them?"

"I'll do it." Xana said, "Move aside." Kotaro sidestepped the reptilian girl as she walked past him and into the tent.

"…And he had the stupidest look on his face." Hoshiko said to her mother, seeming to be telling her a story, "And when he stuck the pentapi on me, it felt so strange!" She squealed a little bit, squirming slightly at the memory, "It was one of the weirdest sensations I've ever felt!" Hikari laughed a little at her daughter's story. She stopped and looked up at Xana, Hoshiko turned her head and saw her friend there, "Hey Xana."

"Hey," Xana said, "Everyone's getting together for a big bonfire tonight. We're celebrating everyone who was able to be with their families again. Wanna come?" Hoshiko frowned slightly.

"Actually," She said, turning back to her mother, "I think I'd rather stay with Mom." Hikari shook her head (As much as she could, anyway).

"No, you go." She said, "You've spent more than enough time with me. You can tell me some more stories tomorrow." Hoshiko looked at her concernedly.

"Are you sure? You don't mind?" She asked, her mother nodded.

"Go and have fun with your friends." She said, "I don't mind."

"Well… okay." Hoshiko said, "But I'll come back tomorrow." She gently grasped her mother's unburned hand before she stood up and followed Xana out of the tent. Kotaro put his hand on her shoulder once she came out.

"How was it?" He asked, Hoshiko looked up at him.

"I… I really missed her." She said quietly, "I didn't know that she was like…" Kotaro put his arm around her shoulders, holding her close.

"I know." He said quietly, rubbing her arm, "But she'll get through it. Your mother's lasted two years like that. Soon, she'll be able to walk again." He kissed the top of her head, "Come on." He led her to where the celebration was being held. He sat her down next to him in the crowd of people. They were all talking happily with each other, passing around different food and drink. Xana and Kotaro sat on either side of their friend, and they were silent as the Chief stood, raising a goblet in his hands.

"Tonight, we are surrounded by our friends and family." He said, "Tonight, we celebrate the reuniting of these families. Through Shinjuko's grace and mercy, we are with our loved ones once more!" He turned to the statue of the woman with large angel wings and a lion's tail that stood behind him, clapping his hands twice and bowing his head in prayer, the other Shinjun's following his example. They were all silent in prayer for a moment before the Chief turned back to them, "Praise Shinjuko!"

"Praise Shinjuko!" The other Shinjuns shouted out.

"Now," The Chief said, raising his goblet, "Let the celebration begin!" Cheerful music began to play, and soon, people were dancing happily around the bonfire. Kotaro instantly stood, taking Hoshiko's hand, and pulling her into the circle and dancing with her as the words were sung aloud by all who knew the song.

"_A single thread in a tapestry  
Though its color brightly shine,  
Can never see its purpose,  
In the pattern of the grand design._

_And the stone that sits on the very top,_  
_Of the mountain's mighty face,_  
_Does it think it's more important_  
_Than the stones that form the base?_

_So how can you see what your life is worth,_  
_Or where your value lies?_  
_You can never see through the eyes of man._  
_You must look at your life,  
__Look at your life through heaven's eyes!_

_Lai-la-lai-la-lee-lai-lai,  
__Lai-lai-lai-lai-lai-la-lai-lai,  
__Lai-la-lai-lee-lai-lai!_

_Lai-la-lai-la-lee-lai-lai,  
__Lai-lai-lai-lai-lai-la-lai-lai,  
__Lai-la-lai-lee-lai-lai!_"

Hoshiko laughed as Kotaro lifted her up into the air and spun her around. When she came back to the ground, he twirled her around. They smiled warmly at each other as they danced within the crowd under the stars. Hoshiko's laughter died down when she saw Aang's bison come soaring through the sky. She stopped dancing and watched as it landed near the camp's edge.

"Hoshiko?" Kotaro asked in confusion when she stopped. He followed her gaze to the bison, and then looked back at her. She gave him an apologetic glance and left him, heading over to the bison. He followed her as she ran towards them. She saw Sokka and Aang sitting on Appa's head.

"What are you doing here?" She asked them.

"I had a vision." Aang said, "Katara's in trouble." Hoshiko looked up at him, worried for her friend. She looked back at Kotaro.

"Kota… I'm sorry." She said, "I have to go…"

"What?" Kotaro asked, coming up to her.

"My friend is in trouble." Hoshiko said, "I… She needs help. I have to go." Kotaro took her hands in his.

"Then I'm coming with you!" Kotaro said.

"No." Hoshiko said firmly, "Kotaro, you're better off here. Trust me."

"I'm coming with you." Kotaro repeated, "I'm a lightening bender, remember? I can help." Aang and Sokka shared a surprised glance, not knowing this piece of information.

"Kota-" Hoshiko was cut off.

"Hoshi, I lost you once, I don't want to lose you again." Kotaro said firmly. Hoshiko looked at him in surprise. She saw the determination in his eyes and sighed. She turned to face Aang and Sokka.

"Is it alright if he comes with us?" She asked them.

"We could use all the help we can get." Aang said, Hoshiko nodded and started climbing up on the bison, Kotaro following her on the furry creature.

"_Heyyyy_!" Before Aang could get the bison to lift off, Xana came running towards them, "Where the heck are you going?"

"I need to help my friend." Hoshiko said, "Do me a favor, and tell my mom I'm sorry. I won't be able to finish that story." Xana looked at her worriedly, but nodded.

"Okay…" She said, "You'll come back in one piece won't you?" Hoshiko smiled and nodded.

"I'll do my best!" Hoshiko called as Appa pumped his large tail and took off into the air.

* * *

**I have a POLL about the next chapter, go and take it!**

**Also, here's the link to the song they dance to: ****[www. youtube. com/ watch ?v=BPb2FqFN7-A] **

**Just take out the spaces.**


	24. Crossroads of Destiny

24

Kotaro looked out over the side of the bison, watching in amazement as the world moved underneath the bison as they flew through the air. Hoshiko smiled a little as his childlike, star struck smile on his face as he turned back to her.

"This is how you travel _every day_?" He asked, Hoshiko nodded in confirmation.

"Pretty cool, huh?" She asked him.

"It's _incredible_!" Kotaro said, looking out over the land as Appa kept flying. Sokka gave the wolf Shinjun a weird look, before turning back to Aang.

"So, what kind of trouble is Katara in?" Sokka asked him.

"I don't know," Aang said, "In my vision, I just knew she needed help."

"It'd be nice if your avatar powers could be a little more specific from time to time." Sokka said, crossing his arms across his chest. They heard a rumbling noise, and looked down at the ground, seeing that something was moving quickly across the earth, leaving a trail of dust behind it, "What is _that?_!"

"Fly us down closer to it." Hoshiko said to Aang, who did just that, bringing Appa closer to the moving thing, seeing that it was Toph, riding around on a pair of earthen hills she created herself that moved her forward at a surprising speed. When Appa was up next to her, Hoshiko shouted, "Need a lift?" Her call had surprised Toph so much, she stumbled in her footing, causing her to fall off the hills and crash onto the ground. The four of them winced at the sight of her landing. They landed the bison near her as she stood up.

"Sorry about that." Hoshiko said, jumping off Appa and walking over to the blind girl. She helped her to stand and pushed her up on Appa, "By the way, Toph, I brought a friend."

"Who?" Toph asked as she settled herself next to Hoshiko on Appa's head, grabbing her arm as they took off, needing some support. Hoshiko looked back at Kotaro, who scooted up from his place on Appa's back. He held out his hand for her to shake.

"Hi," Toph jumped slightly at the sound of his voice, "I'm Kotaro." His eyes widened when he saw that her eyes were a milky grey, showing that she was blind. He pulled his hand back, knowing that she wasn't going to shake it.

"Oh, _you're_ Kotaro." Toph said, "Hoshiko talks about you a _lot_. I'm Toph."

"Nice to meet you." Kotaro said.

"What are you doing out here?" Hoshiko asked Toph, "I thought you were with your mom."

Toph scowled, "My mom wasn't even there. It was a set up made by two guys working for my dad to bring me home." Sokka quirked an eyebrow.

"I thought you said your dad was okay with you travelling the world?" Sokka asked. Toph grimaced.

"Yeah… I lied." She said, "I actually just ran away from home." Sokka groaned.

"Great, now we have two bounty hunters after us, too!" He said, "As if Prince Zuko wasn't bad enough!"

"How long has it been since we saw Zuko, anyway?" Hoshiko asked, "I mean, after that battle with Azula, we haven't heard anything."

"True…" Sokka said, "But hey, he could still be after us. You never know." Hoshiko shrugged.

"I guess." She said, "By the way, how'd it go with your dad?"

"It went great!" Sokka said with a smile, "He treats me like I'm an actual soldier instead of a kid. He taught me about all these new weapons he made to use against the Fire Nation, and I got to meet up with the guys in his platoon, and-"

"Sokka, I just asked how it went, I didn't ask for the entire story." Hoshiko said, Sokka pouted, Aang and Toph chuckled at her words. Hoshiko turned to the young monk, "So, what about you, Aang?"

"Yeah, how did it go with the guru?" Toph asked, "Did you master the avatar state?"

Aang looked away, "Uh…"

* * *

**"If you leave now, you won't be able to go into the avatar state **_**at all**_**!"**

* * *

"Aang, are you okay?" Sokka asked, seeing how his friend didn't give an answer.

"I'm great!" Aang said quickly, "It went great with the guru! I completely mastered the avatar state!" He let out a nervous chuckle. Hoshiko looked at him suspiciously, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and didn't say anything about it. "But, um, what about you, Hoshiko? Did you see your mom again?" He looked back when Aang heard a strange noise and looked to see Kotaro shushing him and making a slicing motion at his neck, shaking his head. Aang looked over at Hoshiko, and was surprised to see a sorrowful expression on her face.

"Yeah, I did." Hoshiko said quietly, "She's alive, like Xana's letter said. And we talked some. It was nice."

"You're not making it _sound_ nice." Sokka pointed out, when Hoshiko's expression saddened even more, Kotaro grabbed his shoulder.

"Shut up about her mom." He whispered in a voice Sokka could barely hear, "Her mother was almost burned to death by Fire Nation soldiers. It's a miracle she's lasted as long as she has." Sokka grimaced.

"Um, sorry." Sokka said, Hoshiko nodded.

"It's okay," She took in a deep breath, "She's okay, and she was happy to see me. So long as she's still alive, that's all that matters." No one said another word to her about it, but Toph tightened her grip on Hoshiko's arm just the slightest bit, in a comforting way.

* * *

It didn't take them much longer after that to get to the palace, where they met up with the king in his throne room, with his pet bear at his feet. Kotaro gawked at the man for a second, amazed that they had actually made friends with the Earth King. Hoshiko shut his mouth for him as Aang explained his worries to him about Katara as quickly as he could.

"Katara's fine." The Earth King assured, "You have nothing to worry about."

"But, in my vision," Aang began, "I felt _so_ sure that she was in trouble."

"Well, she met with the Council of Generals to plan the invasion," The Earth King put his hand to his chin in thought, "And since then, she's been off with your friends, the Kyoshi warriors."

"See, Aang?" Sokka said, "She's with Suki! They're probably back at our apartment right now, talking about make-up or something."

"Sokka's right, Aang." Hoshiko said, "I'm sure they're fine. Maybe the vision you saw was just that. A vision."

"…Okay, maybe you're right." Aang said, nodding once.

"Believe me," The Earth King said, "If there was any danger at all, Bosco's animal instincts would sense it." Said bear lifted his head up at the sound of his name, letting out a little grunt and looking at the five kids before him blankly. Hoshiko rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure he could, your majesty." She said, _That bear wouldn't know 'instinct' if it went through his fur and bit him on the butt._

"But still," Aang said, "Let's check on her, just to be safe."

"Whatever works." Toph said indifferently, shrugging her shoulders.

* * *

It wasn't a long flight back to the apartment, it only took a few minutes. When they landed, they saw that the hole Toph had made in their apartment was now covered up by a tarp. A loud chirping caught their attention, and Aang smiled.

"Momo!" He said happily as the lemur instantly ran up his body and onto the young monk's shoulder. Kotaro looked around the apartment in awe.

"You guys _lived_ here?" He asked, Hoshiko nodded once, "_Man_! It's like you guys did everything better than I ever did."

"Well, I _was_ travelling with the avatar." Hoshiko said, "That tends to get us some special treatment." Kotaro sighed.

"Lucky." He said, Hoshiko only smiled warmly at him, and he smiled back. Toph stepped forward, her blind eyes turning different ways as she used the vibrations her feet made to scan the apartment for any other people that were there. Hoshiko's ears twitched back and forth, noticing the unusual silence.

"This place is empty." Hoshiko said, turning to her friends, "There's no one else here."

"Katara _is_ in trouble!" Aang said, "I _knew_ it!"

"Oh no…" Sokka said, fearing for his younger sister.

"Wait!" Toph said, she pointed at the front door, "Someone's at the door." Only a moment after she said it, a knock came from the other side. She smiled, "Actually, I know who it is." She walked over to the door, "It's an old friend of mine." She opened the door to reveal Iroh, the Dragon of the West, standing on the other side with a serious expression on his wrinkled face, "Glad to see you're okay." Kotaro's eyes widened as he recognized the old man, his face softening slightly.

"I need your help." He said to Aang, who reeled back in surprise at the sight of Zuko's uncle.

"You guys _know_ each other?" Aang asked, pointing at the rotund old man.

"I met him in the woods once, and knocked him down." Toph explained, Iroh rubbed the back of his head sheepishly when she said this, "Then he gave me some tea, and some _very_ good advice." Iroh bowed slightly to her as any friend would to another in greeting.

"May I come in?" He asked, Toph nodded and the old man stepped into the house, his old eyes widened when he saw the young wolf Shinjun before him, "Kotaro…"

"Mushi." Kotaro greeted, "Or, is it Iroh?"

"Iroh is just fine." He said.

"_You_ guys know each other?" Sokka asked in the same way Aang had.

"Well, I met him when he went by the name Mushi, and his nephew went by Lee." Kotaro explained, pointing to the old man.

Iroh looked over at Hoshiko, "Are you his friend?"

"His _hanbun tamashi_, actually." Hoshiko specified, Iroh let out a small 'ah' in understanding. "Why are you here?"

"Princess Azula is here in Ba-Sing-Se." He said, turning to Aang to make sure he heard him.

"She must have Katara!" Aang said.

"She has captured my nephew as well." Iroh said.

"Then we'll just have to work together to fight Azula and get Katara and Zuko back." Hoshiko said, although she wasn't exactly pleased with the idea of helping the Fire Nation's prince. Then again, she never had any real qualms with the prince, so she had nothing against saving him if he needed help.

"Whoa there!" Sokka said, coming over to her, "You lost me at _Zuko_." She scowled a little at him.

"I know how you must feel about my nephew." Iroh said, he took a hold of Sokka's shoulders so he would look at him, "But believe me when I tell you there is good inside him." He let a small smile come onto his face at these words, as if he were proud of his nephew.

"Good _inside_ him isn't enough!" Sokka said, pushing the old man away, "Why don't you come back when it's _outside_ him, too, okay?"

"Katara's in trouble." Aang began firmly, getting his friend's attention, "All of _Ba-Sing-Se_ is in trouble! Working together is our best chance." Sokka scowled, but nodded in a sort of reluctant acceptance.

"I brought someone along who might be able to help us." Iroh said with a little, almost deviant, smile. Sokka and Hoshiko quirked their eyebrows at him as he walked towards the door, opening it. When they got out on the porch, they saw a member of the Dai Lee with his hands and feet bound, his mouth gagged. Toph used her earth bending to lift the man up, his feet dangling inches away from the ground, with his hands still bound together in front of him. Iroh walked up to him and removed his gag.

"Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup." He said quickly, "They're going to overthrow the Earth King." Hoshiko was surprised at how quickly the man had confessed. She looked warily over at the old fire bender, wondering what exactly he had done to him.

"My _sister_!" Sokka demanded, holding out his machete and pointing it at him, "Where are they keeping Katara?"

"In the crystal catacombs of old Ba-Sing-Se," The Dai Lee agent said, "Deep beneath the palace."

The group ran off towards the palace. "Yeah, okay. Just leave me here…"

* * *

Toph put her hand to the ground just outside of the palace.

"Well, whadaya know," She said, sounding bored as she stood back up, "There _is_ an ancient city down there. But it's _deep_." She took a stance and moved her arms in a sharp motion to start the beginning of a slanted tunnel.

"We should split up." Sokka said, "Aang," The monk looked over at him, "You and Hoshiko go with Iroh to look for Katara and the angry jerk. No offense."

"None taken." Iroh said with a shrug.

"And Kotaro and I will go with Toph to warn the Earth King about Azula's coup." Sokka continued.

"What? No." Kotaro said instantly, getting everyone's attention, "I'm not leaving Hoshiko alone."

"Kota, relax." Hoshiko said with a small smile, putting her hand on his shoulder, "It's not like I won't come back."

"But… still…" Kotaro muttered, Hoshiko rolled her eyes at his over-protectiveness.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better," She said, her hands going to Yue's bracelet on her wrist, "You can hold onto this for me." She took it off and handed it to him, "That way, I have to make sure I come back in order to get it back. Okay?" Kotaro looked at the bracelet, then at Hoshiko, and sighed.

"Alright…" He muttered, putting the bracelet on his own wrist, "But you _will_ come back, right?" He was anxious to lose her again after they had just found each other after such a short period of time.

"Of course." Hoshiko said, "I mean, how bad could it possibly be?" Kotaro still seemed a bit worried, "I'll be fine. You just worry about yourself." She leaned up on her tiptoes and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. He smiled softly at her and she smiled back.

* * *

Hoshiko walked next to Iroh as they walked through the tunnel leading underneath the palace. Aang used his earth bending to make the tunnel deeper as they went through. Iroh had used his fire bending to hold a small flame in his hand to use as a source of light.

"So…" Aang began, looking over at the old man, "Toph thinks you give pretty good advice. And _great_ tea."

Iroh smiled, "The key to both is proper aging. What's on your mind?"

Aang pushed some more stone out of the way before he spoke, "Well, I met with this guru who was supposed to help me master the avatar state, and control this great power." Aang frowned, his eyebrows furrowing, "But to do it, I had to let go of someone I love… and I just couldn't."

"I thought you mastered it." Hoshiko said, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

"Yeah… I lied." Aang said, Hoshiko frowned slightly at her friend, turning away from him.

"Perfection and power are overrated." Iroh said wisely, "I think you are very wise to choose happiness and love." Aang pushed more rocks forward to deepen the tunnel.

"What happens if we can't save everyone and beat Azula?" Aang asked, "Without the avatar state… What if I'm not powerful enough?" Iroh frowned thoughtfully.

"I don't know the answer." Iroh said, he looked around them, "Sometimes, life is like this dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving," Aang stepped in front of them, earth bending another group of rocks. When he did, a wind came through, blowing out the flame Iroh had made, and providing them with a new light from some emeralds that littered the entire cave. "You will come to a better place." Hoshiko looked around the catacombs, amazed at the sight. They stood together, overlooking the massive underground area with green crystal in all the walls and flowing water in an underground waterfall off to one side.

* * *

Kotaro followed Sokka and Toph as they headed up the stairs to the palace. When they reached the top, something caught Sokka's eye.

"There's General How!" He said, he was about to go to him, when Kotaro held out his arm, making him and Toph stop. Kotaro closed his eyes and sniffed the air, a frown forming on his face when he was finished, opening his eyes.

"Something doesn't smell right." He said, looking around them suspiciously. He growled low in his throat when he recognized one of the scents as iron (He could smell it because his nose is just _that_ strong). Sokka, sensing some trouble as well, grabbed Toph and the three of them hid behind a pillar. They watched as two Dai Lee agents came out from behind the pillars and shot out a pair of earth handcuffs, and pulled General How to his knees.

"What's going on here?" How demanded angrily as a third Dai Lee agent came in front of him.

"You're under house arrest." The Dai Lee agent said. Sokka looked back to Kotaro and Toph worriedly.

"The coup is happening _right now_!" He said, "We've gotta warn the Earth King!" He grabbed Toph's hand and the three of them ran to avoid the Dai Lee agents, heading to the side of the building. Unfortunately, their escape was not as silent as they would have liked, and one of the agents spotted them. He raised his hand and shot a wave of earth at them. Kotaro saw it coming and lifted his hand, pointing two fingers at the earth. Suddenly, lightening blasted out of his fingers and through the earth, and it just grazed by the agent's shoulder, singing his uniform. He let out a small curse and fired off some of the stone from his gloves. Toph lifted up an earthy barrier to block them, but the agent easily brought it down. Kotaro growled angrily and fired off another shot of lightening that knocked his hat off, and his skull. The shock wasn't powerful enough to kill him, Kotaro made sure of that, but he did become unconscious and fall to the ground. The other two agents who had been with him were too busy getting General How out of the building to put him under arrest, and didn't care to go after Sokka, Toph, and Kotaro.

They ran over to a part of the building where a window hung low. Toph bent up a pedestal that elevated them up to the window and they went through it. Sokka led them through the hallways until they got to the Earth King's throne room, where he sat calmly with Bosco beside him, and two 'Kyoshi Warriors' guarding him off to the other side.

"Thank goodness we're in time!" Sokka said, not noticing the two girls. Kotaro made an odd face as he smelled some very strong perfume coming from one of the girls.

"In time for what?" The Earth King asked confusedly.

"Yeah, what are you in time for?" Ty Lee asked, she did a small flip so she would stand directly in front of Sokka. Kotaro's nose scrunched up as he realized she was the one wearing the perfume, and the scent became stronger as she smiled directly in Sokka's face and giggled, "_Cutie?_"

"Uh, I'm kinda involved with Suki." Sokka said, awkwardly putting his hand on the back of his neck. Ty Lee's smile disappeared.

"Who?" She asked, Toph didn't let her speak anymore by making the earth beneath her jump up and throw her across the room to the top of the large badger mole statue behind the throne.

"They're not the real Kyoshi warriors!" Toph said. The Earth King gasped, looking at the two girls.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Mai said, she threw three knives out at Toph, who easily blocked it with an earth wall, then shot it at her. Mai jumped over it with ease. Kotaro shot out a lightning strike, and was surprised at how quickly she dodged it. Meanwhile, Ty Lee had gone over to Sokka with a large smile, and started jabbing at him. Sokka dodged her strikes because they weren't very fast, but with less finesse than he could have had. He was leaning back as Ty Lee was leaning in.

"It's like we're dancing together." Ty Lee said with a girlish giggle. She suddenly got down as a shot of lightning came at her, and she looked up to see Kotaro frown.

"Damn, I missed." Ty Lee glared at him and quickly got up, dashing over to him. Kotaro raised his hands, ready to fight her, but everyone stopped when they heard a voice.

"This fight is _over_." Azula said, they looked to see she was holding the Earth King hostage, a sharp, blue flame lighting the ends of her fingers. Not wanting to risk his life, Sokka, Toph and Kotaro surrendered immediately, lifting their hands up. Ty Lee instantly went up to each them, hitting three different pressure points on their bodies so they would fall limp to the ground. Azula pushed the Earth King forward into the awaiting Dai Lee, "Get them all out of my sight." The Dai Lee did as she ordered and grabbed each one of them, taking them away to the dungeons, even Bosco was taken.

* * *

Hoshiko lifted her hands up, stretching out her own shadow along the ground, seeing many footprints had turned white against the blackness of the shadow. The freshest ones leading to a wall far from the waterfall. She pulled the shadow back and went over to the wall, putting her hand on it.

"I think it's through here." She said, turning around and looking at Aang and Iroh. Aang nodded once and stepped forward.

"Stand back." He said, Hoshiko went over next to Iroh and they watched as Aang used earth bending to blast through the wall. Hoshiko and Iroh ran in after him to find a small cavern filled with glowing crystals, and they saw Katara and Zuko, both of them standing surprisingly close to each other.

"Aang! Hoshiko!" Katara exclaimed, running over to her friends and hugging them. Iroh ran over to his nephew and hugged him as well. Aang glared at Zuko over Katara's shoulder, and he returned it. "Aang, I knew you would come."

"Uncle, I don't understand." Zuko said to Iroh, pulling away from him and pointing at Aang, "What're you doing with the avatar?"

"Saving you, that's what." Aang said. Iroh held Zuko back when he was about to charge at the boy.

"Zuko, it's time we talked." Iroh said, pushing his nephew back. He looked over at Aang, Hoshiko, and Katara, "Go help your other friends, we'll catch up with you." Aang and Hoshiko bowed respectfully to the old man before going out of the tunnel Aang had made. Katara looked back at Zuko pitifully as she walked, something Hoshiko noticed, but said nothing about. A sudden, sharp pain pierced her skull, and Hoshiko let out a grunt, holding her forehead. A strange ringing went on in her ears, almost as if someone was trying to speak to her, but she couldn't make out the words they were saying.

The three of them ran out of the tunnel, heading for the exit.

"We've gotta find Sokka and Toph!" Katara said as they ran. A loud whooshing sound suddenly caught their ears and they looked back to see a gigantic stream of lightning was coming at them. As a defense, Hoshiko pulled up a huge shield of shadow to protect them, and while the defense was strong, the lightning had enough power to blast the three of them back a few feet. When she put the shield down, they looked to see Azula with two of her fingers pointed at them, still smoking. Katara bent some water from the stream up into a huge wave and tried to bring it down onto Azula. She blocked it with a huge explosion of blue fire, making the water evaporate into steam, giving her cover. The three benders looked around, waiting for Azula to strike.

Suddenly, she jumped out from the steam and shot two blasts of fire at them. Hoshiko brought up another shield of shadow to block the blasts as Azula landed on a natural pillar of stone. Aang saw this and used earth bending to bring it down, making her land on the ground roughly, but still on her feet. She stood up, pointing two fingers at Aang and Katara, and the other hand at Hoshiko, who growled in her throat. Azula watched them carefully, waiting for them to strike. Suddenly, a blast of fire exploded between Aang and Azula. They looked to see it was Zuko who fired the blast, his hands raised in attack. He walked carefully to them, his eyes shifting between Aang and Azula, as if deciding who to attack. Finally, his eyes landed on Aang and he sent a blast of fire at him. Aang deftly blocked it with a small current of air, but the blast still sent him back. Hoshiko gasped as the pain in her head suddenly became more intense, making it feel like someone was trying to burst through the inside of her skull with a spear. Azula, seeing this sudden move, took advantage of it and went to strike. Katara blocked the blasts of blue fire from her with some water.

* * *

"See any Dai Lee agents nearby?" Toph asked Sokka quietly as he looked out of the small window in their prison door. Sokka, Toph, Kotaro, and the Earth King had all been placed in the same prison room, minus Bosco, who had been taken somewhere else.

"Nope, all clear." Sokka said, stepping away from the door. Toph stretched and went over to the door, putting her hands on it. She grabbed the metal and crumpled the door as if it were a piece of paper, and threw it off of the entrance, making it bang loudly against the wall. Sokka grabbed the Earth King's wrist as they ran out of the room, "Let's go!"

"I'm not leaving without Bosco!" The Earth King cried as Sokka dragged him out.

* * *

Zuko fired off more blasts at Aang, who blocked them by creating a whirlwind of air. Hoshiko came up beside him and made a huge wave of shadow rise up and heading straight for Zuko. The shadow knocked him onto his back and Aang leapt up into the air and came down, preparing to blast Zuko back with more wind, but he rolled to the side before the hit could land and sent a blast at Aang's feet. Aang jumped up high into the air to avoid it, and Zuko jumped up on his feet, he sent a few more fire blasts at Aang as he landed on a ledge in the catacombs. Zuko sent up a gigantic explosion of fire to bring him down, but Aang blocked most of the blow by bending up some of the crystals resting on the catacomb's ledge.

"Don't take your eyes off your _opponent!_" Hoshiko snarled as she brought up an inky ball of shadow and fired it at Zuko. Zuko shot some fire at it to stop it before it hit him, then made two, long fiery tendrils and aimed them at Hoshiko, she created two shadowy shields on each of her forearms and used them to block the fire before it hit her. Aang, taking advantage of Zuko's distraction with fighting her, jumped up onto one of the large stalagmites hanging from the ceiling of the catacombs and used earth bending to disconnect it from the ceiling and followed it down as it fell. He used air bending to make it go faster, thus making a bigger impact when it fell on the ground near where Zuko and Hoshiko were fighting. The shockwave blasted Zuko back, as well as Hoshiko, but neither of them were seriously hurt when they landed. They heard a feminine grunt of pain and looked to see Azula was losing to Katara, who held her arm and her leg in a watery casing. Zuko, seeing his sister's distress, sent a wave of fire at the water to disconnect it from his sister. Katara glared at Zuko and blocked his second shot of fire at her with her water bending.

Hoshiko, who had just now stood up from the shockwave of Aang's blow, groaned as her head began to hurt again, the ringing in her ears suddenly turning into words. She didn't even hear the tiny exchange of words between Katara and Zuko about how she thought he had changed.

_"Another battle? My, my, you certainly get into a lot of trouble, Hoshiko."_ Kagemi's voice spoke in Hoshiko's head. She growled angrily.

"Why can't you ever just leave me _alone?_!" She growled angrily as she brought up a wave of shadow towards Zuko, who was still firing at Katara. He blasted through the shadow and started to attack her, and she fought back.

_"I'm a part of you, Hoshiko, I'll never leave you alone."_ Kagemi said, _"Seems you're having a little difficulty battling, hmm?"_

"Yeah, that's because I'm fighting him and talking to you at the same time!" Hoshiko said, slicing the air with her hand, making a shadow to match the shape and having it shoot off at Zuko. The fire bender looked a little confused by her words, but continued to fight. Katara shot him back with a wave of water.

_"Why don't I make this easier for you?"_ Kagemi said as Hoshiko went to join Katara in fighting Zuko, _"Let me take over, and I'll beat both of these fire benders for you."_

"Like _hell_!" Hoshiko snarled as she made quick slicing motions with her hands, making an X shape with every two swipes and having them go to Zuko, who managed to block most of them, but one of them grazed his shoulder, leaving a mark. Hoshiko jumped back when a ball of blue fire almost hit her, and she glared at Azula, who fired again.

_"You're up against two fire benders, Hoshiko."_ Kagemi said, _"You don't honestly think it will be easy for you to beat the both of them? Especially when one of them is a fire bending prodigy."_

"I can try!" Hoshiko said, bringing up an inky ball of shadow and firing it at the princess, who shot a blast of fire at it to stop it from hitting.

_"Why bother fighting a losing battle?"_ Kagemi asked, _"Let's make a deal."_ Hoshiko gasped as one fire blast got a little too close to her, and she fell onto her butt. She watched as Azula suddenly went back to fighting Aang, charging at him with a huge wave of fire behind her as Aang made a suit of armor for himself out of the catacomb's crystals and headed straight for her as well. When they collided, the fire made Aang's armor shatter and he was sent flying back into the cliffs of the catacombs.

Hoshiko growled unhappily, realizing that this _was_ a losing battle at this rate, "Okay, okay, fine! You can take over until we can beat them!" She stood up straight, "But you have to promise not to hurt my friends!"

She heard Kagemi laugh lowly, _"It's a deal."_ Hoshiko closed her eyes as she felt her consciousness slipping, and hers take over the body they shared. For some odd reason, Hoshiko noticed, this time felt stronger than all the others.

* * *

It didn't take Sokka, Toph, Kotaro, and the Earth King long to get back to the throne room, where they found Bosco sitting down as Mai rested on the stairs in front of the empty throne, and Ty Lee stood in front of him, speaking to him.

"Come on, it's easy." She said, trying to teach him a trick, "You just walk on your front paws instead of your rear ones, like this!" She started walking on her hands to show Bosco what to do. Toph smirked and brought up the earth beneath her hands so it would trap them. Ty Lee let out a small gasp of surprise and put her feet on the ground, where Toph did the same thing to them.

"That _is_ a nice trick." She said with a smirk, Sokka brought out his club and Kotaro's fingers lit up in sparks, all of them ready to fight.

"Just take the bear." Mai said in a bored tone of voice, not even bothering to fight them. The Earth King ran towards his bear and hugged his furry neck.

"Bosco!" He cried happily, and the bear let out a small grunt in what could only be assumed as happiness. They walked out of the throne room, leaving to get on Appa and to help Katara, Aang and Hoshiko. Once they were outside, Kotaro gasped, feeling a sharp pain in his chest near his heart that made him stop. Everyone looked back at him when they noticed he had stopped.

"Kotaro, what's wrong?" Sokka asked.

"I… Don't know." Kotaro said, his hand over the painful spot in his chest, "My chest just hurts for some reason…" He looked up at Sokka, "Do you think Hoshiko's okay?"

"I'm sure she's fine." Sokka assured, "Hoshiko's pretty strong, she'll manage to keep her body in one piece."

"It's not her body I'm worried about…" Kotaro muttered under his breath.

* * *

Kagemi's eyes opened, her dark eyes looking fierce and foreboding, and her white irises stood out against the blackness. She smiled widely as she looked down at her body. Oh, how good it felt to say that. _Her_ body, _her_ feet, _her_ hands; It was almost too good to be true. She smiled and let all of her teeth, including her sharpened canines, glint in the light of the crystals in the catacombs. She had overtaken Hoshiko's body before, but never like _this_. Usually, when they made a deal, Hoshiko gave her a time limit. This time, there was no limit. She could get the body for as long as she needed so she could beat the Fire Nation scum she hated so much. She began to laugh in joy at the thought, it was soft at first, and only she heard it, but it steadily got louder and louder, until her maniacal laughter rung out through the catacombs, getting everyone's attention as she roared in laughter, her head thrown back, and her claws extended to the heavens.

"What a _feeling_!" She growled happily. She brought her head down, and looked over at where Azula was looking at her strangely. She grinned maliciously and charged at her, shadows gathering around her limbs, like they had when she goes into her shadow-panther form, but her hands still remained hands instead of turning into paws. The shadows covered her entire body until she looked only like a silhouette with two, white, round eyes and a mouth full of sharp, fanged teeth. Azula gasped at the sudden change in form as she dashed towards her at a seemingly impossible speed. Kagemi took a huge leap in the air and landed next to the princess, her landing making a huge shockwave that pushed her, Zuko, and Katara back. Katara's head hit against some crystals that jutted out of the ground, and she moaned as she felt herself beginning to lose consciousness. Kagemi laughed maniacally as she lifted her arms up, creating two, long, sharp tendrils of shadow to rear up behind her and she brought them down on the young princess, who barely dodged them as she jumped back. She looked at Kagemi with wide eyes as she strolled, yes _strolled_, towards her, a multitude of different, shadowy tentacles writhing behind her, as if itching to destroy something. Kagemi lifted her hand up and all of them dove for Azula. The blow was stopped when an orange flame shot out in front of them before they could land. Kagemi turned to see Zuko with raised hands, ready to shoot at her again.

"Come to join in the fun?" Kagemi asked sweetly with a terrifying smile. One tentacle of shadow reared up and dove for Zuko, who kept it away with another shot of fire. The tentacle shrunk back, as if in pain, but then it separated so it was seven separate tentacles on one large one. Kagemi let out a victorious laugh as Zuko effortlessly tried to send them back with his fire while they simply separated from the strand they were all attached to and went around the flame, heading straight for him. They landed harsh strikes on him, making scars along his arms, legs, and torso. Kagemi grinned viciously and looked over at Azula, who looked at her with wide eyes. She was about to lift her hand to attack again, but her attention was drawn away from the two royals as Aang shot out from the cliff he had been blasted into and landed on the ground, the sheer power of it making a huge shockwave that disrupted the stone of the ground he landed on. He used earth bending to bring up a large mound of it to push him forward towards Azula and Zuko, his eyes murderous. Kagemi made a 'tsk' sound in unpleasantness.

"Spoil sport…" She muttered under her breath, "Taking all the fun of two on one away…" Aang rode on the earth, and just as he was about to cross the river, a Dai Lee agent jumped in from out of nowhere, and blasted the earth he rode on, sending Aang flying forwards and landing roughly on the ground. Kagemi hissed angrily when she saw that there were Dai Lee agents _everywhere_. The three of them were all quickly surrounded by the agents. Katara, who had just woken up, pulled up a stream of water around her to make the octopus form to protect herself from them. Kagemi brought up more shadowy tendrils, hissing and snarling at the agents that stood calmly around her, so as to intimidate them. Aang got up, prepared to fight, but he looked at his enemies in front of him, and the enemies that surrounded his friends.

"There's too many." He said aloud, his voice hopeless.

* * *

**"The only way is to let her go."**

* * *

The guru's voice rang in his head, telling him what he needed to do. Aang's face fell when he realized this, and he brought his hands down.

"I'm sorry, Katara." He said quietly, then he turned around, making an earth tent out of the crystals in the catacombs. Kagemi looked at the tent curiously, wondering exactly what the young avatar was up to. Only a second later did a light begin to glow from the crystals, and a great, white beam suddenly shot up through it. Everyone watched as Aang, now in the avatar state, rose up from the ground. They were all in awe of his power, except for Kagemi and Katara. Katara looked at him proudly, glad that her friend was able to finish his training, Kagemi just felt like he was showing her up. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning ripped through the air and through Aang's body from Azula's fingertips. Katara's eyes began to water in tears, and Kagemi's silhouetted form disappeared as she looked at the princess in surprise, amazed that she had been clever enough to attack Aang at that exact moment.

Katara used the water from the octopus form she had made to create a wave that helped her to travel fast over to Aang, encasing all the Dai Lee agents in the water as she went over them so she could catch her friend before he fell to the ground. She held Aang in her arms, tears pouring from her eyes. Kagemi did nothing to help her as Azula and Zuko came closer to her. Before they could attack a wall of fire shot out to separate them from Katara. Everyone looked to see it was Iroh, he jumped down from a cliff and stood in front of Aang and Katara, his hands raised to fight.

"You've got to get out of here!" Iroh said to them, "I'll hold them off as long as I can!" Katara nodded once, picking up Aang and heading towards the waterfall as Iroh shot off fireballs at his niece, nephew, and some of the Dai Lee.

"I have no intention of leaving." Kagemi growled, bringing the shadowy tendrils up once more, ready to fight. She was having far too much fun being in complete control of this body, she refused to give it up so easily. She shot out the tentacles at some of the agents and sent them flying back as Iroh made a wave of fire to push some of them away. Katara reached the water fall and looked over at her dark-eyed friend.

"Hoshiko, let's go!" She said, Kagemi's eyes widened, she snarled fiercely at Katara, angered by the fact that she had called her by the wrong name.

"_Leave me!_" She snarled angrily, wanting her to just go without her. Katara looked at her in shock, noticing for the first time how her eyes had changed, and she brought up the water around her and pushed her and Aang to the surface. Once they were up and gone to where the Dai Lee couldn't get them, Iroh lowered his defenses, surrendering. The Dai Lee agents brought up a wall of crystalline earth around him to keep him from moving. Kagemi, however, would not surrender so easily. Azula and Zuko watched as she tried to keep the Dai Lee agents away from her with her shadows. She was easily beaten from the sheer numbers of the agents around her, and once they had her in custody, she fought as if her life depended on it. She was practically foaming at the mouth as they dragged her away.

* * *

Once Katara reached the surface, she met up with Sokka and the others, Aang still in her arms. Kotaro looked behind her worriedly as he saw that Hoshiko hadn't come up with her. Sokka helped her onto Appa and they flew into the sky.

"Where's Hoshiko?" Kotaro asked the young water bender as she lay Aang down against Appa's shoulders. She looked up at the young wolf Shinjun, and shook her head. Kotaro's eyes widened significantly, and he felt a lump in his throat like one would when they were about to cry. However, Kotaro did not cry. He only put his hand over his chest, where a large, hollow feeling resided just over his heart. Now he knew why he had felt as though someone had torn out half of his heart, Hoshiko was gone. His other hand rested over the bracelet she had given him before they had separated. He wanted to turn away, wanted to turn away from them, and the rest of the world, and go shed his tears for the one he loved, but didn't as he looked down at where Aang rested. Katara looked at him sadly, then pulled something from around her neck. It was the amulet that Master Pakku had given her, the one that contained the healing waters from the spirit oasis. She bent out the water and watched as it circled around above her hand, glowing brightly. She pulled Aang up and put the water on the wound on his back where Azula had struck him, and watched as his body took in the healing water. When the wound didn't disappear as she had hoped, she let out a small cry and hugged Aang tightly, tears coming to her eyes once more.

Aang's arrow glowed briefly, and he let out a low groan. Katara gasped and pulled away from him, and her blue, shining eyes shed tears of joy as she saw Aang looking back with his own eyes and giving her a weak smile before becoming unconscious again. Katara hugged him tightly to her in relief. The Earth King looked out over the city with a crestfallen face.

"The Earth Kingdom," He said solemnly, "Has fallen."

* * *

Azula sat smugly on the Earth King's throne, next to her stood her brother.

"We've done it, Zuko." She said, "It's taken a hundred years, but the Fire Nation has conquered Ba-Sing-Se."

"I betrayed Uncle…" Zuko said sadly, his emotions swimming in guilt for hurting the man who had looked after him for three years, who stood by him always since his banishment.

"No, he betrayed _you_." Azula corrected, getting his attention, "Zuko," She stood up from the throne, "When you return home, Father will welcome you as a war hero."

"But I don't have the avatar." Zuko said, "What if father doesn't restore my honor?"

"He doesn't need to, Zuko." Azula said, putting a hand on her brother's shoulder, "Today, you restored your own honor." The two fire benders looked up as a loud crash was suddenly heard and they saw the throne room's doors being opened by Kagemi, a dark grin on her face as she walked towards them. They both raised their hands in attack, prepared to defend themselves against the shadow bender.

"Relax," Kagemi said, raising her hands up to show she meant them no harm, "I'm not going to attack you." She looked up at the princess with her dark eyes, "I simply want to talk."

"I doubt that." Zuko said, raising his fist higher as she got closer to the throne. Kagemi stopped walking.

"Please," She said, getting down on her knees and prostrating herself before the two of them, "A simple conversation with the great prince and princess of the Fire Nation is all I ask for." The two of them looked at her in surprise as she stayed that way as she spoke.

"Raise your head." Azula commanded, and she did so, her dark eyes catching the princess's attention, "You may speak."

"Thank you, your highness." Kagemi said, she stood up before them, "I'm certain that, as two great, and educated members of the Fire Nation royal family, the both of you have knowledge about shadow benders?"

"We're well aware." Azula said, sitting down on the throne, "What of them?"

"Then, I'm certain you're aware of the shadow bender's greatest secret." Kagemi said, "The _Ni-nin_, as it's called."

"Yes, we know of it." Azula said uncaringly, "It's the darker half every shadow bender contains in their bodies. A completely different personality from the original person."

"Exactly." Kagemi said, "I am such a being. I am Hoshiko's _Ni-nin_. Now, it's a _very_ rare occasion that I am placed in control of the body we share, and even then, it's only for an incredibly short amount of time. But, you see, she and I made a deal: That I would control this body until the Fire Nation was defeated. I lost the battle between you and your brother, and therefore, I am still in control of this body. Normally, I would never side with the Fire Nation in any event, but this one in particular supersedes all others. You see, until the Fire Nation is beaten, I have control of this body." Kagemi put a clawed hand on her chest, "And I very much like being in control, so I have a proposition for you, Princess." Kagemi got down on one knee before the two of them, "It would be my _pleasure_ to serve the royal Fire Nation family, and help them to win this war, so that I may have control of this body for the remainder of my life." Azula hummed thoughtfully as she looked at the dark-eyed Shinjun.

"Are you saying you'll swear your loyalty to the Fire Nation?" She asked.

"With no haste, your majesty." Kagemi said, Azula grinned.

"I have to say, I was impressed with your efforts in our little battle today." Azula said, "Tell me your name."

"I am Kagemi." She said respectfully.

"Well, Kagemi," Azula began, standing up from the throne and walking over to where Kagemi still kneeled before her, "If you swear your loyalty to the royal Fire Nation family, you may join us."

Kagemi grinned, "It would be my honor to forever serve the family of the Fire Nation. I swear to you, my loyalty."

* * *

**DUN-DUN-DUUNNNNN!**

**Oh, no! What will happen next?**

**And hooray! I finished the second book!**

**I just want to thank all you awesome people who reviewed so far. ****You guys are really great, and I love reading what you thought of my story. Oh, and I know only one person did that poll I had of the next chapter, but thanks for voting anyway! I appreciate your attention to my stories! It makes me feel like this story isn't a total fail. ****THANK YOU! TT^TT **

**Also, I posted up pics of Hoshiko, Xana, and Kotaro on deviantART. **

**http:/ popcorngamer. deviantart. com/**

**Just take out the spaces.**


	25. The Awakening

25

Kagemi stared out at the ocean, watching the blue waves lap against the side of the ship. She heard footsteps behind her, but didn't bother to see who it was.

"You look so sad." A voice said, Kagemi turned around, and growled lowly when she saw it was Ty Lee. She turned back to the ocean.

"And you care?" She sneered.

"Well, sure I do." Ty Lee said, coming up beside her, not hearing how she growled in her throat at the new closeness, "I mean, you're with us now. A friend!"

Kagemi hissed at her, "I don't need _friends_." She spat out the word as if it were a nasty poison. She looked back at the ocean, "I know you're not the brightest candle lit, girl, but can't you tell when someone wants to be alone?" Ty Lee frowned.

"But, you just seemed so sad, I thought you might be lonely." Ty Lee said.

"I'm not lonely." Kagemi said, she kept her eyes on the ocean, "I've just never seen the ocean before."

Ty Lee gasped, "_What?_! How could you never have seen the ocean before?"

"When you've never been in control of your life," Kagemi said, looking at the moon's reflection on the water, "You tend to miss out on a few things…"

* * *

Kotaro adjusted the cloak around his shoulders. He sighed as he looked out at the ocean as he and the others travelled on a Fire Nation ship along the waters through Chameleon Bay. He looked down at his wrist, seeing the blue plated bracelet Hoshiko had given him. His heart beat painfully in his chest, his heart still feeling like it was missing some part of itself. It hurt to feel it beat in that hollowness, to feel it cry out every time it moved, crying out for its other half. Kotaro's eyes began to well up in tears, but he quickly wiped them away and covered the bracelet with his hand. He didn't want to think of Hoshiko. Not now.

"You alright there?" Kotaro looked up to see Sokka standing a few feet away from him. He nodded his head, turning back to the ocean, leaning his arms against the railing. His hand still covered the bracelet.

"Yeah… I guess." He said. Sokka came up next to him, resting his arms on the railing beside him.

"You're lying." He said, Kotaro let out a humorless laugh.

"Yeah, I am." He said, "I'm not alright." Sokka frowned sadly.

"I'm sorry about Hoshiko." Sokka said, "She was a good friend." Kotaro nodded in agreement.

"It's… hard to keep on moving after losing someone you care about." Kotaro admitted, his hand tightening around the bracelet.

"I know the feeling." Sokka said, "But, hey, you're here now, right? Hoshiko would want you to help us with the invasion." Kotaro nodded once, still looking out listlessly at the ocean. Sokka's eyes fell to his bracelet and saw how he was gripping it, "You know, there's an interesting story behind that bracelet."  
"Is there?" Kotaro asked, keeping his gaze on the ocean.

"Yeah, it actually belonged to a friend of Hoshiko's before it was hers." Sokka said, "It was a birthday present to Princess Yue when she lived in the North Pole in the Northern Water Tribe."

"Yeah?" Kotaro said, turning to Sokka.

"Yeah," Sokka nodded, "She was Princess Yue's bodyguard, but they didn't really seem like protector and protectee when you saw them. They were more like best friends." Kotaro saw Sokka's face light up slightly, "I knew the princess, too… I really liked her…"

"Did you love her?" Kotaro asked, Sokka shrugged.

"I don't know, I don't think I was around her long enough for it to be, like, _love_, but…" Sokka sighed, "It was pretty close. Anyway, _long_ story short, Yue ended up sacrificing herself for her people, and she became the moon spirit." Kotaro gave him an odd look, "No lie. She became the moon spirit. And when she left," Sokka pointed to the bracelet Kotaro was covering, "She left _this_ behind. When Hoshiko saw it, she started crying like crazy." Kotaro looked down at the bracelet on his wrist, "Since then, she's been hanging onto it. It's the only piece of her friend that she had left, and she didn't want to let it go." Kotaro's fingers traced over the plate on the bracelet. He let out a thoughtful hum. "And, I guess, because of that, Hoshiko and I became pretty good friends. I mean, having that connection through Yue kind of made us… get each other a little bit, I think. We got pretty close." Kotaro's ears pricked at his words.

"How close?" He asked seriously, Sokka looked over at him, and when he saw the serious look on his face, he looked at him in surprise.

"Not like _'close'_ close!" He said, "Just, y'know, like brother and sister close. Not _that_ kind of close! No, no. We even talked about that once. Hoshiko said she wouldn't be like that with me because…" Sokka trailed off, trying to remember what happened that night.

"Because…?" Kotaro egged, wanting to know his answer.

"Because she said her heart belonged to someone else." Sokka said. Kotaro looked at Sokka with wide eyes, and Sokka gave him a friendly smile, "I guess she meant you, buddy." Kotaro's spirits didn't seem to lift as he gazed down at the bracelet. He let out a shaky sigh and hung his head, bringing his hand up to his eyebrows and rubbing them. Sokka looked at him in surprise as Kotaro's face tightened up, as if trying to squeeze his eyes shut so no tears would fall from them.

"She really said that?" He asked, Sokka looked at him pitifully and rested his hand on his shoulder as Kotaro let out another shaky breath, "I miss her…"

"Yeah, me too." Sokka said. A clattering noise behind them caught their attention and they turned around. Sokka, thinking it might be an enemy, put on the mask that went with his soldier's uniform. They looked to see Aang lying on the ground looking in front of him to see Sokka's father and Bato giving Momo some food.

"Momo?" He asked in surprise. Momo chirped happily and ran over to Aang, jumping up on his head.

"Twinkle Toes! That's gotta be you!" Toph cried happily as she and Katara ran over to him as he stood up.

"Aang, you're awake!" Katara said happily as everyone came over to him.

"Are you sure?" Aang asked, "I feel like I'm dreaming." Katara went over to him and pulled him into a hug.

"You're not dreaming." She said happily, "You're _finally_ awake."

"Aang, good to see you back with the living, buddy!" Sokka said, giving his friend a quick hug.

"Sokka…?" Aang questioned quietly, and then groaned.

"Uh-oh, somebody catch him, he's gonna-!" Toph didn't finish as Aang fainted against the floor of the ship. Kotaro went over to the young monk, who now had a nice patch of hair on his head, and put his arm around his shoulders.

"Come on, let's get him back in his bed." He said, standing up. Katara took Aang's other arm around her own shoulders and they walked Aang back to the room they had put him in so he might be a bit more comfortable when he woke up.

* * *

Kagemi stretched her hands out as she walked down the hallway. She looked around the metal hull of the ship, feeling a certain feeling she had never had the pleasure of feeling before.

Boredom.

She hadn't really experienced boredom while she was locked away, because the entire time she was in there, it was more like she had been sleeping deeply. She had never had to figure out something to do to buy her time. It was hard trying to figure out what would entertain her other than fighting (Most, if not all, of the soldiers on board the ship seemed terrified of her, so she couldn't get any of them to say yes to a little practice battle).

"Aren't you cold?" Kagemi's eyes turned to where she saw Prince Zuko and Mai standing close to each other near a balcony railing on the ship.

"I've got a lot on my mind." Zuko replied, "It's been so long… Over three years since I was home. I wonder how things have changed… I wonder how _I've_ changed." Mai yawned.

"I just asked if you were cold, I didn't ask for your whole life's story." She said, smiling at him. Zuko didn't smile back. She went over to him and moved his head so it would face hers, "Stop worrying." She kissed him gently, and moved away. She didn't notice Kagemi as she went through the door she stood by. Kagemi gave the girl, who was now happy in a way she found eerie. She looked over at where the prince still stood at the railing, looking out at the moon.

She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe, looking at the prince's back, "You humans are such odd creatures." Zuko turned around at the sound of her voice, and his golden eyes met her white, cold ones, "Aren't you the banished prince? The one who's been _dying_ to go home ever since you were banished? And now, all of a sudden, you're worried about what's going to happen you go home." Kagemi shook her head, "And then there's that Mai girl. She's normally miserable, yet around you she's happy, in a very creepy way, I might add."

"Wouldn't you be worried if you were returning to the home you'd been sent away from for three years?" Zuko asked, "Don't you worry about what other people might say about you when you return?" Kagemi's face was expressionless as she looked at the prince.

"I don't have a home to return to." She said, her eyes narrowed slightly in a glare, "Your father's soldiers made sure of that." Zuko looked at her in surprise.

"I'm sorry…" He said quietly.

"Don't be." Kagemi scoffed, "It's _war_. Sacrifices had to be made." _It's not like they wanted me around, anyway._ She finished in her head.

"You know, you're pretty odd yourself." Zuko said, Kagemi raised her eyebrow delicately at him, "I mean, only a few weeks ago, you were travelling with the avatar and going by the name-" Kagemi moved at an inhuman speed, dashing to Zuko in the blink of an eye.

"_Don't you __**dare**__ say her name in front of me!_!" Kagemi growled, suddenly in front of the prince. Zuko looked at her with wide eyes as she glared at him, her teeth bared, "Don't. You. Dare." She took a step back from him, "I am a different person from when I was then. I am Kagemi now, I no longer go by a name like _Hoshiko_." She spat out the name. She turned around and stalked away from the scarred prince, who watched her leave with wide eyes.

* * *

"Why are we on a Fire Nation ship? Why is everyone dressed this way? And why am _I_ the only one who's completely out of it?" Aang fired off question after question once he regained consciousness from fainting. Kotaro rested against Appa as he watched and listened to the conversation between him and Katara.

"You need to take it easy, okay?" Katara said, holding out her hand to stop him from talking. "You got hurt pretty bad." Aang's face fell as his hand went to the bandages around his waist, stomach, and shoulder. "I like your hair." Katara said, trying to make Aang feel a little better.

"I have _hair?_!" Aang asked, his hands going to his head to feel the still growing fuzz on top, "How long was I out?"

"A few weeks." Katara said, Katara glanced up as a man came up to them.

"Everything okay?" He asked. Katara looked away from him with a scowl on her face.

"We're fine, Dad." She said.

"I'm Hakoda," He introduced, holding out his hand to Aang, "Katara and Sokka's father." Aang was about to reach for his hand when Katara stopped him by putting her hand on his shoulder.

"He knows who you are. I just called you 'Dad' didn't I?" Katara asked, giving her father a pointed look. Hakoda's smile fell slightly at her words.

"I guess you're right." He said, Aang moved Katara's hand and reached up, taking Hakoda's and grasping his forearm the way all Water Tribe members do to greet each other.

"Nice to officially meet you, Chief Hakoda." Aang said with a smile, Hakoda smiled back.

"It's an honor to meet _you_." Hakoda replied.

"Great, great. Now you guys have finally met, so would you mind giving us a little privacy?" Katara asked, sounding a little peeved at her father. Kotaro quirked a curious eyebrow at her behavior, knowing that she missed her father a lot when he left, from what the others had told him.

"Of course." Hakoda said, he turned and walked over to Appa, where Kotaro rested.

"Are you mad at your dad or something?" Aang asked, Katara stopped glaring at her father's back to turn to him.

"What? No, not at all." Katara asked, sounding genuinely surprised that he had asked, "Why would you say that?" Aang, not really sure what was going on between the two, only shrugged, then flinched as it caused him some pain in his abdomen. Katara looked at him concernedly, "Maybe we should go upstairs. You need a healing session." Kotaro watched as they left, then looked over at Hakoda, who petted Appa's head as he fed him some hay from a small pile nearby. He looked over at Kotaro, who looked away when their gazes met.

"Are you alright?" He asked, Kotaro shrugged.

"As alright as I could be, I guess." He said. Hakoda looked down at the young man concernedly, then sat down next to him.

"I understand your friend didn't come back with you." He said, Kotaro's face fell and he nodded once, "Sokka told me she was a kind girl."

"She wasn't just kind." Kotaro said, "She was kind, and smart, and funny, and strong, and… beautiful. She was perfect." Hakoda looked at him sadly.

"You loved her." He said, Kotaro's gaze turned to the floor, nodding his head, "Did she know?"

"I've been saying I loved her for a long time." Kotaro said with a bitter laugh, "I'm pretty sure she knew. She loved me back, as well." Hakoda nodded once.

"I know the pain of losing those you love." He said, putting his hand on the Shinjun's shoulder, "I'm sorry." Kotaro hung his head.

"I could have stopped it." He said, "I could have refused the idea to separate us and gone with her. Maybe I could have changed what happened." Kotaro gripped at the roots of his hair, "I could have _stopped_ it! Why didn't I?"

"Kotaro," Hakoda began gently, "We can't focus on what could have been in life. We can only focus on the now, because there's nothing we can do that can change the past."

"I know that. I _know_, but…" Kotaro gripped at his hair even tighter, "Damn it, I want her back!" He slammed his fist against the metal floor beneath him hard enough to make a small dent. Appa grunted in surprise at the sudden noise of his hit. Hakoda looked down at his hand, seeing that it was now forming a bruise on the side, then looked up at his face where, even though his eyes were hidden by the darkness of the night as his head was bowed, he saw tears of frustration and anger streaming down his cheeks. He said nothing, letting the young man be as he got up and left him alone, leaving him to cry out his frustrations in silence. Momo, who had been resting in Appa's saddle, looked down at the young Shinjun and crawled down to be beside him, chirping and purring softly to get his attention. Kotaro looked down at the lemur and petted his head as he wiped his tears, giving him something to do to distract himself. Momo crawled into his lap and made himself comfortable, purring softly as he kept petting him. Momo reached for the bracelet that Kotaro wore and looked up at him. Kotaro looked in surprise at the little lemur, as his big, green eyes seemed to sadden, as if saying he missed Hoshiko, too.

* * *

"After what happened in Ba-Sing-Se, we had to get you to safety." Sokka said, as he began to explain everything that had happened while Aang was passed out the next morning, "We flew back to Chameleon Bay, where we found my father and the other Water Tribe men. The Earth King decided he wanted to travel the world in disguise, so he set off alone- _Well_, not _completely_ alone. He _did_ have Bosco with him. Soon, the bay was overrun with Fire Nation ships, rather than fight them all, we captured a single ship, and made it our disguise. Since then, we've been travelling west," Sokka pointed to a body of water on the map in front of him, "We crossed through the Serpent's Pass a few days ago. We've seen a few Fire Nation ships, but none have bothered us."

"So… What now?" Aang asked.

"We've been working on a modified version of the invasion plan." Kotaro said before slurping up some of the noodles he was having for breakfast, "We won't be able to mount a huge invasion without the Earth King's armies, but the solar eclipse will still make the Fire Nation vulnerable."

"So, we're planning a smaller invasion." Sokka said, "Just a rag-tag team of our friends and allies from around the Earth Kingdom. We already ran into Pipsqueak and The Duke." He gestured over to the large young man, and the much smaller, younger man sitting on his shoulders.

"Good to see you again, Aang." Pipsqueak said in his deep voice.

"And the best part is, the eclipse isn't even our biggest advantage!" Sokka continued, he lowered his voice to a whisper, "We have a secret: _You_."

"Me?" Aang asked.

"Yep! The whole world thinks you're dead." Sokka said with a smile, "Isn't that _great?_!" He stood up in joy of his words. Aang stared at his friend with wide eyes.

"The world thinks I'm _dead?_!" Aang asked standing up in shock, "_How_ is that good news? That's terrible!"

"No, it's great!" Sokka said, "It means the Fire Nation won't be hunting us, anymore. And even better, they won't be expecting you on the Day of Black Sun."

"No, no, no, no, no." Aang said, shaking his head, "You have _no_ idea…" He grasped at his head, "This is _so_ messed up!" He looked back up at Sokka, "And I know there's no way I'm not the only one thinking this. Hoshiko will agree with me," He looked around, "Right?" His eyes widened when he didn't see the panther Shinjun anywhere, "…Hoshiko…?" He looked at his friends' faces, seeing how they all fell. Panic and worry began to fill him at the absence of his friend, "Where's Hoshiko?"

"Aang…" Katara began gently, "Hoshiko stayed behind to protect us from the Dai Lee when we escaped… She never made it back." Aang's eyes widened considerably.

"So… then is she just a Fire Nation prisoner?" He asked, turning to everyone.

"Hoshiko would sooner cut her own throat than return to the Fire Nation," Kotaro said, making everyone turn to him, "If she was taken as prisoner, she killed herself in the prison cell." He looked over at Aang, "She's dead." Aang's eyes began to shine in sadness.

"No…" He collapsed onto the floor, and Katara went over to comfort him. Sokka looked over at Kotaro, and frowned at the sight of his expression. He looked frustrated, sad, and distant all at once. Sokka was almost worried he would cut his _own _throat right then and there.

* * *

Kagemi followed the princess as they walked through the palace. She glanced occasionally at the art adorning the walls, and even gazed at the murals of all the Fire Lords up until Fire Lord Ozai.

"Now, as one of our latest subordinates," Azula began, getting her attention, "You need to prove your loyalty to my father, otherwise he would never accept you." Azula turned her head to look over her shoulder at her as she walked, "I'm sure you understand, being a Shinjun and all." Kagemi bristled slightly when the name of her race sounded weak in the princess's tone of voice.

Instead of telling her off, she only said, "Of course, your highness." They approached the door to a room, and Azula turned to face her before they entered.

"Now, when you meet my father, you have to do whatever he asks of you." Azula said, "And I mean anything. No hesitation at all. If you show it, father will make sure you are put in the slave quarters and shoveling rhino dung for the rest of your life."

"Understood, your highness." Kagemi said stiffly. Azula nodded once, and Kagemi followed her in. Kagemi looked up at the Fire Lord's throne, looking at all the orange flames that surrounded him, and suddenly felt the urge to run forward and cut off his head. Her tail bristled with her urge, but only bowed lowly before him as Azula did.

"Father," Azula greeted curtly before raising her head to him, "This is the Shinjun we spoke of." She turned to Kagemi, "Raise your head." She did as the princess commanded and set her eyes on the Fire Lord, trying her hardest not to glare at him, "She has sworn her loyalty to us, and will do what we ask of her."

"Is that so?" Ozai questioned, he looked at Kagemi, then turned to the side, gesturing someone forward with his hand. The two watched as two guards dragged in a beaten-looking rabbit Shinjun girl. Kagemi recognized her from Hoshiko's memory as Usagi, the rabbit Shinjun she had made friends with while going through the Cave of Two Lovers. "This Shinjun has resisted any sort of force we put upon it, and will not do as we command." Ozai turned to Kagemi, "If you are as loyal as you say you are, then you will kill it." Kagemi nodded once and stood up. She walked over to where the two guards were holding Usagi, and waved them away with her hands, telling them to stand back. Usagi fell against the ground, and her bruised and beaten eyes looked up to see who was standing before her, and recognized her. She smiled hopefully, and tears of relief and joy fell from her eyes.

"Hoshiko!" She cried happily in her high-pitched voice, "Hoshiko, it's you! I'm so glad!" Kagemi glared at her and raised her hand, Usagi's hopeful smile fell, "What are you doing? Hoshiko?" Kagemi snarled as she brought her hand down, taking a razor-sharp curve of shadow with her and cut off Usagi's head. Her ears folded into her face as her head rolled against the ground. The two guards reached down and picked up her remains and dragged them away, leaving a trail of blood behind. Kagemi turned to the Fire Lord and bowed in the traditional Fire Nation way, showing her respect to him. Ozai gazed down at her, and Kagemi did not raise her head until she heard him order her to.

"You killed one of your own kind without any hesitation." He mused aloud, "You were not afraid, and you did not comfort her when she called you by your former name." Kagemi stood stiffly before him.

"My loyalty is to the Fire Lord and his family." She said robotically, "There is not an order that you can give me that I cannot do." Ozai hummed thoughtfully, then turned to his daughter.

"A good choice, Azula." He praised, "She will remain with you until a time where I require her assistance." Azula bowed.

"Thank you, Father." She said. Kagemi followed her out of the room. She felt her hands shaking. She looked down and saw that they were covered in Usagi's blood.

In her mind, she could hear Hoshiko crying.

* * *

Everyone looked up when they heard a horn going off. They looked to see a Fire Nation ship coming towards them.

"I'll handle this." Aang said, "The avatar is back." He took a hold of his glider and opened it up, but the sudden motion of doing so caused him pain, and he flinched, groaning. He put his hands on the glider, ready to take off.

"Aang, wait!" Katara said, holding out her hands to stop him, "Remember, they don't know we're not Fire Nation." A couple of beads of sweat fell from Aang's forehead as he closed his glider. Kotaro looked at him in surprise, not realizing how much effort it was taking the young boy to move.

"Everyone just stay calm." Hakoda said as he grabbed his Fire Nation helmet, "Bato and I will take care of this." He put the helmet on his head, while everyone else went to hide in the stairwell that went below deck.

"I hate not being able to do anything." Aang grumbled quietly.

"Hopefully, you won't _need_ to." Toph whispered back to him. They watched as a plank was connected between the two ships and three men, two soldiers and a high-ranked Fire Nation officer, walked across.

"Commander, why are you off course?" The man demanded of Hakoda, "All western fleet ships are to be moving toward Ba-Sing-Se to support the occupation!"

"Actually, we're from the eastern fleet." Hakoda said, "We have orders to deliver some cargo."

"Ah… Eastern fleet…" The head officer said, thinking, "Well, nice of Admiral Chan to let us know he was sending one of his ships our way."

"I'm sure Admiral Chan meant no disrespect, sir." Bato said.

"I mean, how hard is it to write a quick note and send a hawk our way?" The officer asked, Kotaro almost sighed in relief that the man was buying their cover.

"Next time, we'll send two hawks to make sure you get the message." Hakoda said, giving the man a small smile. They bowed to the man and turned away. Kotaro's ears heard the voice of the soldier's beside the head officer as they spoke quietly to him.

"Sir, Admiral Chan has been on leave for two months on Ember Island." The soldier whispered.

"What?" The head officer whispered back, "Why doesn't anyone ever tell me anything?" He looked around the ship, "Something's not right, they should have known that. I think this is a captured ship." He turned around and the two soldiers walked with him going across the plank, "Just stay quiet until we're safely across the ramp. Then we'll sink this ship." Kotaro's eyes widened and he jumped out of his hiding place.

"They know!" He had lightning shoot out from his fingertips onto the plank they were walking on, making it collapse and fall into the water, taking the three men with them. Katara used her water bending to make the space between the ships larger by making a huge amount of it grow up into a hump-like shape that was the size of the ships themselves. Then she used it to push the ship back away from them so they could have a better chance for escape. The ship quickly took off, wasting no time in getting away from the fire benders.

* * *

Kagemi stretched casually as she strolled around the palace. She looked at every Shinjun she passed, seeing how they all seemed to cower back, away from her.

_Word travels fast_. She thought to herself, thinking that the other Shinjuns in the palace heard how she killed Usagi without so much as blinking. They must be afraid that she'll kill them next.

She doesn't mind it, in her opinion, it's much better to be feared than loved.

She heard the soft sound of quacking, and looked to see Zuko feeding some turtle ducks in a small pond on the palace grounds. She watched as Azula came up to her brother, and the turtle ducks started swimming away as her shadow was cast over them.

"You seem so downcast." She said to her brother, "Has Mai gotten to you already?" As an afterthought, she added, "Although Mai has been in a strangely good mood lately."

"I haven't seen Dad yet." Zuko said to her, "I haven't seen him in three years, since I was banished."

"So what?" Azula asked. Zuko sent a glare to his sister.

"_So_, I didn't capture the avatar." Zuko replied.

"Who cares?" Kagemi scoffed, she didn't realize she was speaking loud enough to get the attention of the two royals. When they looked at her, she continued, "The avatar's dead. What does it matter if you have him or not?" She stood up and quirked a curious brow as she noticed how Zuko looked away at her words. She came up beside him, looking at him with a sly grin, "Unless… you think he _survived_ getting shot by a lightning bolt? Made by your own sister, no less."

Zuko turned to her, looking directly in her dark eyes, "No." He said, "There's no way he could have survived." Kagemi stared at him long and hard, and he stared back.

"Well," Azula said, breaking their staring contest, "Then I'm sure you have nothing to worry about." Azula turned away, "Kagemi, come with me, I have a task for you."

"Yes, your majesty." Kagemi said, following her.

* * *

The ship lurched left and right as fireballs were shot at it from the Fire Nation ship following them. Kotaro growled in frustration as he tried to stand up straight on the ship by grabbing onto the railing. As one started heading straight for them, he ran up and pointed two of his fingers at it, shooting out a bolt of lightning to disintegrate it before it hit the deck.

Toph raised her hands in an earth bending stance and shouted, "Load the Toph!" Pipsqueak picked up a large cylinder of stone and put it in front of her. She used earth bending to bring up a small portion, then shot it out at the Fire Nation ship attacking them, destroying their catapult. When they fired off another fireball at them, Kotaro raised his hands and shot out a bolt of lightning, destroying it before it landed. Suddenly, the ship lurched as the other ship sent a chained, iron claw down through the water like a torpedo and through the hull of the ship. Katara quickly used her water bending to freeze any water around the hole that was made in the ship, preventing it from sinking.

"I'm gonna give us some cover!" She shouted to everyone, then she suddenly created a huge cloud of fog that was sure to leave the other ship blind. The only problem was, they were blind, too. The fireballs still came at them from the second catapult on the ship. They soon sailed out of the fog into the water once more. A fireball shot out and landed on their ship, making a fire on the steel. Katara quickly bent up some water to put it out.

"How're we doing?" Toph asked over the noise to Sokka.

"Things couldn't get much worse." Sokka replied. Suddenly, there was a large splash behind him, and a loud roar filled everyone's ears as the sea serpent from The Serpent's Pass came rearing up out of the water to face the ship that had dared cross into its territory. Sokka gaped at it, "The universe just _loves_ proving me wrong, doesn't it?"

"You make it too easy!" Toph replied. Another fireball shot out from the ship, and it hit the serpent. It cried out in pain and in anger, and turned to the ship. It dove under the water only to come back up moments later, wrapping its body around the ship twice and squeezing it, like a snake would their prey. It kept the ship stationary as they got away from the fire benders. Sokka smiled widely.

"Thank you the universe." He said gratefully, looking up at the sky.

* * *

After the battle, they had found a port to dock in to repair the ship, which should be finished by the end of the hour. Kotaro walked around the ship, stopping when he came to the shut door to Aang's room. He paused at the door, staring at it for a moment, then knocked on it.

"Come in." Aang's voice said from inside. Kotaro pushed the creaking metal door open and smiled at Aang, who gave a small smile in return. Aang was lying down on the bed, his fingers linked behind his head, "Hey."

"Hey." Kotaro returned, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "How're you feeling?" Aang shrugged.

"Okay, I guess." He said, Kotaro nodded, coming in and sitting down on the bed, facing Aang. "What about you?" Kotaro shrugged.

"I've been worse, I suppose." He said. There was a long silence between the two of them, and Kotaro was starting to regret coming into the room, because he and Aang had nothing to talk about without Hoshiko there.

"So…" Aang began awkwardly.

"So…" Kotaro returned, just as awkward as he was. Aang looked at the young wolf Shinjun.

"What happened? With Hoshiko, I mean?" He asked, he saw Kotaro's face fall at the mention of Hoshiko's departure.

"I wouldn't know." He said quietly, "I wasn't there. But you were, weren't you?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess I was." Aang said sheepishly, "I don't really remember much about it, though." His eyebrows furrowed as he thought of a memory, "I do remember one thing, though…"

"What?" Kotaro asked, Aang looked over at him.

"Did Hoshiko ever tell you about Kagemi?" He asked, Kotaro's eyes widened in surprise at the young avatar.

"How do you know about Kagemi?" He asked in surprise.

"Hoshiko had a nightmare about her once." Aang said, "I asked her about it, and she told me about how Kagemi is a part of her and everything." Kotaro nodded.

"I've known about her for a while." Kotaro said, "What did you remember?"

"I remembered that, when we were fighting Azula and Zuko," Aang said, "I saw her eyes get all dark, and she was a little more… vicious than usual." Kotaro's eyes widened, "I guess Kagemi took over or something."

"…She…" Kotaro put his hand over his mouth, his eyes still wide. Aang looked at him curiously as Kotaro's gaze stayed on the floor of the room, "She might not be dead…"

"What?" Aang asked, jumping up. He grimaced when the sudden motion caused him pain and his hand rested over his abdomen. They both looked up when the door opened, revealing Katara, Toph, and Sokka.

"Hey Aang." Toph greeted, "We're going into town to find some dinner."

Aang looked down at his stomach as he heard it grumble at the thought of food. "Well, I am pretty hungry. Maybe dinner's a good idea."

"Here," Sokka said, pulling out a red headband, "Tie this around your head, it'll cover your arrow." Aang scowled.

"I'm not going out if I can't wear my arrow proudly." Aang said, he lay back down on the bed, and Sokka sighed.

"Aang, come on. Be practical." Sokka said, he looked over at Kotaro, "What about you, do you wanna eat?"

"Sure." Kotaro said, standing up with a seemingly renewed happiness, "Got a hat?" Toph held up a straw hat and Kotaro put it on his head. He looked over at the young monk, who still lay on his bed. "Aang, it's just a headband. It's not _that_ bad." Aang didn't reply.

"Why don't you guys go ahead without us?" Katara said, coming up to her brother, "We'll catch up with you." Everyone did as she suggested and walked out of the room, Katara came over to Aang's bed, sitting down on it next to him and putting her hand on his shoulder. "I think I understand why being a secret bothers you so much. You don't want people to think you failed."

"You're right. I don't." Aang said, "But the problem is, I _did_ fail."

"Aang, that's not true." Katara said, her hand moving away from Aang's shoulder as he sat up.

"It is true." He said, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, "I was in Ba-Sing-Se. I was _there_!" He stood up from the bed, "But I lost. And now the Earth Kingdom has fallen for good." He looked back at Katara.

"It's not for good." Katara said with a hopeful smile as she stood up from the bed, "Remember, there's still a plan. The invasion!"

"And I _hate_ the invasion plan, too!" Aang snapped angrily, his hand grabbing the Fire Nation tapestry that hung over his bed. He ripped it off the wall and threw it onto the floor, "I don't you or anyone else risking your lives to fix _my_ mistakes!" He turned his back to her, "I've always known that I would have to face the Fire Lord. But now I know that I need to do it alone."

"Aang…" Katara murmured, going over to comfort her friend.

"Katara, please." Aang said, shaking his head at her, "Just go. _Please_." Katara, although reluctantly, did as he asked. When she reached the door, she stopped, looking back at Aang.

"Is there anything you need?" She asked him.

"I need to redeem myself." Aang said, "I need my honor back."

* * *

Kagemi's grey pupils were wide as she smirked wickedly, her eyes resting on a small mouse that had crossed her path. She sat on her hands and knees, licking her lips at the sight of the rodent, her ears hooding back, and her tail swinging back and forth in excitement. She bent her arms to get down lower as she prepared to pounce on the creature. Her butt wiggled in excitement just before she jumped up and tried to slam her hand down on it. When she missed she swatted at it again and again until she had gotten ahold of its tail. She grinned maliciously as she picked it up by the tail, watching it flail around helplessly, letting out squeaks of distress. She licked her lips at the sight of the tasty morsel in her hands. Hearing it squeak like that made her chuckle.

"Life's not fair, is it?" She cooed mockingly at the mouse as she stood up, still dangling it by its tail. "You see, I… Well, I was locked up in a dark prison for years on end, and you," She chuckled, "You shall never see the light of another day." She let the mouse crawl over her fingers as it tried to escape, "Oh, you can run all you want, but you can't escape the fact that something that's so awful is about to come to an end. All bad things end at one point, after all, good things come to those who wait." She chuckled again, "So, I was released, and I'll save you the pain of being so frightened by me." She chuckled again, "Adieu." She grabbed the tail and dangled it as she opened her mouth, preparing to drop it in. She heard someone groan in disgust.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?" A voice said.

"Huh?" Kagemi looked behind her to see Zuko, in all his princely garb standing behind her. Taking advantage of this distraction, the mouse bit Kagemi's finger so she would drop him, "Ow!" The mouse quickly scurried away, hiding in a crack in the wall. Kagemi pouted. She looked back at the prince with a small glare, "Thanks. You just made me lose my lunch."

"In all fairness, you've been doing that to me since we first met." Zuko replied crisply as he walked past her. Kagemi flipped him off with an angry expression, even though he didn't see it.

"Just where are you going, anyway?" Kagemi asked, starting to follow him.

"I'm going to see my father." Zuko said, "He's requested to see me."

"Ooh, how _fun_." Kagemi said mockingly, "You're dad's a regular hoot." Zuko shot her a nasty look.

"What are you doing here anyway?" He asked, "Didn't my sister have some task for you?"

"Yes, she did." Kagemi said, "And I finished it a while ago. So I'm just walking around. Is that so bad?"

"Well, it's kind of weird that you're following me." Zuko said as he walked down the hall to his father's throne room.

"So what?" Kagemi asked, "I want to see the _beautiful_ reunion between you and your daddy." Zuko glared at her as she wore a mocking grin.

"He asked to see me only." Zuko said, hoping that would send her away.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." Kagemi said, "You won't even know I'm there."

"And just where would you hide?" Zuko asked, "Behind a curtain?" Kagemi scoffed.

"I would never hide in such an obvious place." She said, "I would hide the same way I can travel." Her form sunk down into the floor until there was nothing but a shadow. It slithered across the floor until it was in front of Zuko, where she popped up in front of him, making him jump back. She smirked, "We shadow benders have a rather large range of talents, your highness." Zuko scowled and walked away from her towards the throne room entrance. Kagemi said nothing as she sunk back into the floor, her shadowy form crawling along the walls to the ceiling, going in before Zuko. He looked up at the entrance to the throne room, and took in a deep breath to help him get ready. He moved through the curtain and looked at where his father was silhouetted on his throne.

He walked to his father, and kneeled before him, his head touching the floor.

"You have been away for a long time." Ozai said, his voice unemotional, "I see the weight of your travels has changed you." He stood from his throne, "You have redeemed yourself, my son." Kagemi traveled up one of the pillars to a beam at the ceiling, coming out of the shadows and crouching down on the beam, watching them from above as Zuko lifted his head as Ozai walked from his throne towards him. "Welcome home."

Zuko felt relief and pride flooding through him. This is what he had wanted, craved, for so long. His father was _welcoming_ him home. Kagemi's tail twitched in interest as she watched the exchange between the prince and the Fire Lord.

"I am proud of you, Prince Zuko." Ozai continued, "I am proud because you and your sister conquered Ba-Sing-Se. I am proud because, when your loyalty was tested by your treacherous uncle, you did the right thing, and captured the traitor." As he spoke Ozai walked around his son, Kagemi kept her eyes on him with every step, "And I am proudest of all of your most _legendary_ accomplishment. You slayed the avatar." Zuko's eyes flashed, but Ozai was behind him and didn't see. Kagemi's eyes widened slightly and her ears pricked so they were standing straight up, her tail swinging excitedly. _This_ was interesting development.

"What did you hear?" Zuko asked, staying where he was and not facing his father.

"Azula told me everything." Ozai said. _Aah,_ Kagemi thought, _Azula told him. That explains it._ "She said she was amazed and impressed with your power and ferocity. At the moment of truth."

The thoughts in Zuko's mind ran rampant. Why would Azula, a person he's known all his life who would only lie for _their_ benefit, tell his father that _he_ killed the avatar? It didn't make any sense.

Ozai dismissed his son and he left the throne room, Kagemi following him out by hiding in the shadow his body made. When they were outside the throne room, Kagemi came up from the darkness, Zuko saw how some of it clung to her as if she were coming out of a mud pit, as if it was telling her where she belonged. When she was completely out of the shadow, she turned to Zuko with a smirk.

"Well!" She began, crossing her arms across her chest, "Isn't this an interesting turn of events? Azula told your father you killed the avatar."

"There's a reason for this." Zuko said.

"There's a reason for _everything_." Kagemi said with a dismissing wave of her hand, "So what?"

"Azula has some motive behind this." Zuko said, "I'm going to find out what it is."

"I'll come with." Kagemi said with a growing grin that showed her elongated canines, "I love watching a good sibling spat."

* * *

Katara carried a tray of food down the hallway as she headed to Aang's room. They had found plenty of things for him to eat while they were out in town and, although it was a little cold, she was sure Aang would appreciate it instead of the old rations they found in the hull of the ship. She smiled as she came to his doorway and walked in.

"I brought you some food." She said, her blue eyes widened as she looked around the room, seeing that Aang was gone, and so was his glider. "Oh, no…" She knew what he had done. He had run away, so he could face the Fire Lord by himself. The tray clattered against the floor as she dropped it and dashed out onto the deck where her father was. When she approached him, tears were in her eyes. Bato, who had been speaking with Hakoda, looked away.

"I'll leave you two alone." He said, he walked over to where Kotaro had found a comfortable napping spot near the doorway and shook his shoulder to try and wake him up. When it didn't work, he shrugged and left him to sleep, not noticing how he stirred softly a moment after his hand had left his body.

"What's wrong, Katara?" Hakoda asked concernedly, seeing tears pouring down his daughter's cheeks.

"He left." Katara said, her voice strained from her tears.

"What?" Hakoda asked. Kotaro sleepily rubbed his eye as he looked up at where they were talking, thinking their conversation had been what had woken him up.

"Aang," Katara specified, "He just… took his glider and disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone. That it's all _his_ responsibility."

"Maybe that's his way of being brave." Hakoda said.

"It's _not_ brave!" Katara snapped, her tears coming faster than before, "It's selfish! And stupid! We could be helping him! And…! I know the world needs him, but doesn't he realize how much _we_ need him too? How could he just leave us behind?" Kotaro watched the exchange between the two of them with wide eyes. He suddenly got the feeling he wasn't supposed to be there, and that he should leave, but he didn't want to draw any attention to himself, so he lowered his head and tried to fall back asleep and tune them out, but with little luck.

Hakoda's face darkened in sadness, "You're talking about me, too, aren't you?"

"How _could_ you leave us, Dad?" Katara asked in a broken voice, "I mean, I know we had Gran Gran, and she loved us, but…" She wiped away some tears, only to have them be quickly replaced, "But we were just so lost without you." She covered her face with her hands as she began to cry, and Kotaro shifted slightly in discomfort at the sound of it. He tried not to listen, for he felt it was inappropriate to keep hearing them, but what else was there for him to listen to?

Hakoda reached out and put his hand on Katara's shoulder. "I am so sorry Katara." Katara took his comfort for what it was worth and hugged her father tightly, putting her face against his chest.

"I understand why you left." She said, "I really do. And I know that you had to go. So why do I still feel this way? I'm so sad, and angry, and_ hurt_…!" Her voice broke off as she was about to sob again, and held her father tighter. Hakoda wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"I love you more than anything." Hakoda said to her, "You and your brother are my _entire world_. I thought about you every day I was gone. And every night, when I went to sleep, I would lie awake missing you so much it would _ache_." Kotaro carefully and quietly got up, leaving the two to their time together and went down the hall to his own room so he could try and sleep properly. Just as he reached the door, his formerly half-awake mind suddenly realized something.

Aang, the brave monk who was seriously hurt and could die if he wasn't tended to properly, was out in the middle of the ocean, in the middle of the night, somewhere in the Fire Nation, _alone_.

They needed to go and find him. Fast.

* * *

Kagemi followed Zuko through the halls of the palace until they came to Azula's bedroom, where Zuko pushed open the doors with ease.

"Why'd you do it?" He demanded of his sister once he was in. Azula, who lay on her bed, seemed to be asleep.

"You're going to have to be a little more specific." She said from her sheets.

"Why did you tell father that I was the one who killed the avatar?" Zuko demanded. Kagemi leaned against the doorframe, watching as they spoke to each other.

"Can't this wait until morning?" Azula asked in annoyance.

"It. Can't." Zuko said. Azula sighed.

"Fine." She sat up in her bed and looked at her brother, "You seemed so worried about how father would treat you because you hadn't captured the avatar. I figured if I gave you the credit, you'd have nothing to worry about."

"But why?" Zuko asked.

"Call it a 'generous gesture'." Azula said as she swung her legs over the side of her bed and got up and walked over to him, "I wanted to thank you for your help. And I was happy to share the glory." Even Kagemi could tell that was an outright lie, and she'd only known the princess for a few days.

"You're lying." Zuko said.

"If you say so." Azula replied, she nodded at Kagemi in greeting, "Hello, Kagemi."

"Your majesty." Kagemi returned her nod.

"You have another motive for doing this." Zuko said to Azula, "I just haven't figured out what it is."

"_Please_, Zuko." Azula said, "What ulterior motive could I have? What could I _possibly_ gain by letting you get all the glory for defeating the avatar?" She looked away slyly, "Unless, somehow, the avatar was actually alive. All that glory would suddenly turn to shame, and foolishness." Zuko glared at her as he realized that naming him as the avatar killer was a back-up plan in case he was really alive. Kagemi nodded at the princess, impressed by her tactics. Azula moved back to her bed, sitting down on it, "But you said yourself, that was impossible." She moved back to lie down on her bed as Zuko walked out of the room, "Sleep well, Zuzu." Kagemi snorted behind her hand as she followed Zuko out, shutting the door behind her.

"_Zuzu_?" She asked, snickering.

"Just go find some place to sleep." Zuko ordered with a growl as he stormed off. Kagemi shrugged and walked away from the prince, heading to the room Azula had given her.

* * *

It was dawn by the time Kotaro and the others had found land. They had flown on Appa, separating from Hakoda and the rest of the invasion force as they searched for their friend. The first piece of land they came to was a crescent shaped volcanic island. After searching its rocky shores for about an hour, they came upon Aang's body washed up on the rocks. Momo, delighted to see his master, went to him first, jumping on his chest and licking his cheek. He slowly stirred from the feel of it and sat up. Katara smiled in relief when she saw him move, and ran over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You're okay!" She sighed. Everyone came over to where they were. Aang looked around at all of his friends.

"I have so much to do." He said.

"We know." Katara said to him, "But you'll have our help."

"You didn't think you could get out of training just by coming to the Fire Nation, did you?" Toph asked jokingly, planting her hands on her hips. Aang smiled at her, but it quickly fell as a thought occurred to him.

"What about the invasion?" He asked, turning to Sokka.

"We'll join up with my dad and the invasion force on the day of the eclipse." Sokka explained. Kotaro felt something bumping against his foot and looked down.

"What is-?" He reached down to pick it up and grimaced, "Oh." He held it out to Aang, "It's your glider." Aang stood up, taking it in his hands. Aang stared at it solemnly as he held it.

"That's okay." He said, he looked up at his friends, "If someone saw it, it would give away my identity. It's better for now that no one knows I'm alive." He looked behind him at the volcanic veins of the island and used air bending to jump up high. He landed carefully on a small hilltop and stuck his glider through a tiny river of lava. After a moment, the glider caught fire and he jumped back down to join his friends. Katara embraced him again once he was close enough.

"I'm so glad you're okay." She said.

"Me too." Sokka said, going over and joining his sister in the hug. Toph soon followed, as did Appa and Momo. Kotaro stood off to the side awkwardly. He wasn't really part of their group, it would be weird for him to join in their happy little group hug they shared.

Toph's foot suddenly slapped the ground, and Kotaro was jutted forward, stumbling into Sokka, who clasped his arm around his shoulders and pulled him into the hug.

"You're a part of our team now, Wolfie," Toph said to him, "And that means being a part of group hugs."

"Okay." Kotaro laughed, clasping his arm on Sokka's back, and his other arm on Toph's, "I guess I can deal with that." Toph smiled at him, "And I like that name, by the way."

"I thought it was appropriate." Toph said with a shrug. Kotaro chuckled good-naturedly.

* * *

**Cyber cookies to whoever caught my Lion King reference!**

**Also, I posted up pics of Hoshiko, Xana, and Kotaro on deviantART. **

**http:/ popcorngamer. deviantart. com/**

**Just take out the spaces.**


	26. The Headband

26

Kagemi tossed and turned in her sleep, a small blackness creeping its way out of her eyes as she dreamed.

_"How could you?" Hoshiko shouted at her, her form had changed. She was similar to Kagemi in her appearance that she was only a shadow, but she was white instead of Kagemi's black. Her crystalline blue eyes stood out against the whiteness of her body. Her hands and legs were bound to a shadowy wall, restraining her from Kagemi, who glared at her as she cried, "You killed one of your own kind!"_

_"So what?" Kagemi snapped, "This body is __**mine**__, now! Not yours! I can do whatever I please, and kill whoever I want!"_

_"You're siding with the Fire Nation!" Hoshiko shouted, her hands shaking as she tried to escape her restraints, "You __**hate**__ the Fire Nation! You hate __**everything!**__" Tears ran down her white face, "I knew her! I knew the Shinjun you killed! Now her blood is on my hands…" Hoshiko sobbed, hanging her head. Kagemi growled, grinding her teeth together._

_"Stop whining!" She reached her hand up, pulling on the shadowy wall and making her restraints larger. "You gave up this body to me, we had a deal. And I'm not going to give it back, just because you feel a little guilty about necessary bloodshed! Without that death, the Fire Lord wouldn't trust me. This will help in your precious plan to stop the Fire Nation."_

_"You liar!" Hoshiko shouted, "I heard what you said to Azula! You want to keep me like this forever!"_

_"So?" Kagemi asked, "I've wanted this body for years, and now it __**is**__ mine. If you're going to complain about it, find a loophole in our contract that will get you out. You'll have plenty of time to go over it in here." She turned and began to walk away from her prisoner._

_"Murderer!" Hoshiko shouted at her, "You heartless murderer!"_

Kagemi jolted awake, sitting up in her bed in a cold sweat. She panted as she tried to regain her breath, clutching the sheets in her fists. She put her clawed hand to her head, sighing.

"This is my body…" She muttered, "No one will take it from me." She grasped at her dark hair at the roots, "Not even _you_, Hoshiko."

* * *

Deciding to walk off the remnants of her meeting with Hoshiko, Kagemi started walking around the hallways of the palace. She paused as she came near a window, looking out at the moon. She scowled a little at the sight of it, remembering how she saw Hoshiko's friend become the moon spirit through her eyes. Kagemi knows everything that Hoshiko knows, and sees everything she sees, and even some things she forgets, Kagemi will remember, and vice versa. So when she saw the moon, instead of the comforting yet melancholic feeling that Hoshiko would normally feel, Kagemi just didn't like the moon. She didn't like Yue very much, she thought she was far too prim and perky. Actually, she reminded her of an elegant kind of Ty Lee. She didn't like Ty Lee at _all_ (She had yanked her tail back in Omashu, and she still had a grudge against her).

She jumped when she heard the sound of footsteps and sunk into the floor, hiding her shadowy form in the shadow of a wall nearby as someone walked by her. She carefully stuck her head out from the floor to see a person dressed in a red cloak walking down the hallway. A suspicious feeling rose inside her and she followed them until they got to the door to Prince Zuko's bedroom. Her eyebrows rose to her hairline as she saw the person take their hood off to reveal that it was Prince Zuko. He quietly closed the door behind him as he went back into his room. Kagemi came out from the shadows, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at Zuko's door.

"What are you up to, Prince Zuko…?" She asked quietly.

* * *

Kotaro scowled as more hair got into his face as he, Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Toph traveled over the Fire Nation under the cover of a cloud made from Aang and Katara's bending. They could see past the whiteness of their cloud to see they were heading towards the shore of the mainland of the Fire Nation.

"I think I see a cave below." Aang said as they came closer to it.

"Shh!" Sokka hissed harshly, "Keep quiet!" They came just above the land and Aang used his air bending to get rid of the cloud around them. Sokka was the first one off of Appa and he ducked behind a rock, looking around him to make sure they were alone as everyone else got off the large bison. When Sokka was sure the coast was clear, he looked back at his friends, "Great job with the cloud camo, but next time let's disguise ourselves as the kind of cloud that knows how to keep its mouth shut." His eyes shifted around them suspiciously. Kotaro rolled his eyes at Sokka's paranoia.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want a bird up there to hear us chatting and turn us in." He said sarcastically, Toph smirked at his comment.

"_Hey_! We're in _enemy_ territory!" Sokka said, turning to him. He pointed to the birds that rested on the rock he was hiding behind, "Those are _enemy_ birds." One of them jumped off the rock and onto Sokka's head, making a cawing sound. Everyone laughed at him before walking towards the cave. Sokka quickly followed them and kept going until he was the first one in the cave, looking around him with a smile, "Well, this is it. This is how we'll be living until the invasion begins. Hiding in cave, after cave, after cave, after cave…" His smile slowly fell as he continued talking and hung his head in misery.

"Sokka, we don't need to become cave people." Katara said, "What we need is some new clothes."

"Yeah, blending in is better than hiding out." Aang agreed, "If we get Fire Nation disguises, we'll be just as safe as we would be hiding in a cave."

"Plus, they have _real_ food out there." Toph said, "Does anyone want to sit in the dirt and eat cave hoppers?" She pounded her fist against the wall, making a large amount of white cave hoppers come out from inside the cave walls. Momo dashed for one and once he grabbed it in his tiny paws, he started munching on it. When he was finished, he looked back at the others, a white cave hopper leg sticking out of his mouth.

"Looks like we got outvoted, sport." Sokka said to the lemur, then he turned to the others, "Let's get some new clothes."

* * *

Everyone peeked their heads out from behind the rock to see the clothes hanging on the line as they were drying outside someone's home.

"I don't know about this." Aang said unsurely, "These clothes belong to somebody."

"I call the silk robe!" Katara said, dashing for the robe that hung on the line and taking it off.

"But… if it's essential to our survival… then I call the suit!" Aang said, dashing for it.

"Darn it, Aang!" Kotaro said, dashing behind him with a grin, "I wanted that one!" Kotaro went for his second choice, a pair of dark red pants and a black shirt with a red vest, instead and dashed away before the owner of the home could see them.

It didn't take everyone long to get into their new outfits. Kotaro had just finished putting on the vest as Aang finished tying his headband on his head to hide his arrow.

"Tada!" He said, turning around to his friends, "Normal kid."

"Sharp." Kotaro commented, looking over Aang's outfit. He smiled at him in thanks.

"Hmm…" Toph sighed, "I should probably wear shoes, but then I won't be able to see as well." She sat down on the rock, grabbing onto the ankle of her sandal, "Sorry, shoes!" She pulled on the shoe and pushed through it with her foot, making the bottom fly off and into the air, Kotaro grabbed it before it almost hit his face. Toph did the same with the other shoe, and it went flying again, but this time, into Sokka's face, leaving a red, shoe-shaped mark. Toph smiled and she stood up, "_Finally_! A stylish shoe for the blind earth bender."

"How do I look?" Katara asked, coming over to them. Aang blushed at the sight of her new outfit. Kotaro let out an appreciative whistle at the sight of her.

"Not bad." He said, his grey eyes caught something that seemed off about her outfit, "Ah… But, your mother's necklace…" Katara's hands instantly went to the jewelry around her neck.

"Oh… Oh yeah." She said, taking the necklace off, "I guess it's pretty obviously Water Tribe, isn't it?" She looked down at it sadly, then tucked it away where it wouldn't be seen.

"Let's just head into town." Sokka said, "We can get some other stuff to go with our new clothes, and a new necklace for you, Katara."

It didn't take them long to find a vendor that sold the accessories they were looking for. Everyone got a little something to help them to blend in. But when Kotaro tried to buy something from the vendor, he scrunched his nose up in disgust and pushed Kotaro's money away.

"We don't sell to _your_ kind." The man said, Kotaro glared at the man and pocketed his money.

"Fine then, I'll just keep my money for someone better." He replied icily, turning away from the vendor. Sokka grabbed his arm before he left.

"Hang on." He said, he looked over at the vendor, "What makes his money so different from ours? It's not counterfeit."

"I never said it was." The vendor replied, "I just don't want to shame my handiwork by having your slaves walk around in them." Kotaro growled lowly in his throat at the man, who didn't seem fazed by his scare tactic.

"He's not a slave, he's our friend!" Sokka replied, "A free man!"

"I don't care!" The vendor snapped, "I will _not_ have any _disgusting_ Shinjun walking around in one of my pieces!" Kotaro yanked his arm from Sokka's grasp.

"Look, just forget it." He said, he glared at the vendor, "This man is obviously _blinded_ by his pride to not know good money when he sees it."

"What did you say, you flea bitten vermin?" The vendor snapped, standing up, "I could report you to the authorities!"

"On what grounds?" Kotaro snapped back, "Telling a man the truth?" The vendor ground his teeth angrily.

"Get out of my sight before I call the guards!" He said, pointing them away from him.

"_Gladly_." Kotaro replied, walking away stiffly from the man. Everyone followed him as he walked away.

"What was _that_ about?" Toph asked as they walked away, "You almost got us caught!"

"Sorry, sorry." Kotaro said, stopping as he came to a street corner, running a hand through his white hair, "I'm just not used to being back in the Fire Nation." He sighed, "But, it's no big deal. I'll fit back into the culture soon enough." He looked back at the others, "Don't worry about it."

They all shared uncertain glances, but nodded in agreement. Aang took Momo and hid him under the shirt of his clothes.

"Right." He turned to his friends, "I used to visit my friend Kuzon here a hundred years ago. So everyone just follow my lead and stay cool. Or as they say in the Fire Nation, stay flamin'." Kotaro snorted in laughter.

"Aang, they don't say anything like that." Kotaro said through his chuckles.

"Oh. They don't?" Aang asked.

"You haven't been to the Fire Nation in almost a hundred years." Kotaro pointed out, "It's probably a good idea that you don't use any slang from back then."

"Yeah, Aang, no offense," Sokka said, "But Kotaro's lived in the Fire Nation before, his example is probably the best to follow."

"Yeah…" Aang muttered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. The five of them walked down the street, trying to find a restaurant to eat at that didn't have a sign out in front that read 'No Shinjuns allowed'. Soon enough, they found one that they could all eat at.

"Oh." Aang said when he saw the restaurant they were heading into, "We're going to a meat place?"

"Come on, Aang." Sokka said, "_Everyone_ here eats meat. Even the meat." He pointed over at a hippo cow that was happily chowing down on some pork legs. Aang grimaced.

"You guys go ahead." Aang said, "I'll just get some lettuce out of the garbage." Sokka shrugged and they walked in without Aang into the restaurant, getting a table near the window, and conveniently away from most other customers.

* * *

The next night, Kagemi stayed awake and watched as Zuko left his room in the middle of the night again in the same hooded cloak and stealthily followed him. She slunk around the walls, carefully avoiding his line of sight as he headed to a large Fire Nation prison. She quirked a curious eyebrow at his destination choice and followed him inside. She hid amongst the shadows on the ceiling as Zuko walked down the hallways of the prison. As Zuko came closer to a guard, he pointed his spear at Zuko.

"You again! Stop where you are!" His eyes widened as Zuko came closer, "Prince Zuko?" Zuko grabbed the man by the collar of his uniform and pushed him against the wall.

"I'm going in for a visit. You're going to stand guard here, and _no one_ is going to know about this." Zuko told him, the guard nodded meekly and Zuko released him. Kagemi's ear twitched in curiosity as she watched him enter one of the cells and followed him in, hiding once more on the ceiling as a small, shadowy blob that was barely noticeable. She looked down into the prison cell and saw that it was Zuko's uncle who was sitting inside it. He didn't even acknowledge Zuko's presence as he walked up to the barred iron door of his cage inside his prison cell. Zuko removed the hood from his head and looked at him, "Uncle, it's me." Iroh shifted so his back was facing Zuko.

* * *

After eating at the restaurant, everyone saw that Aang had disappeared. They split up, searching for him amongst the crowds of the city, but finding nothing. Even Kotaro's unique sense of smell couldn't pick up any traces of Aang, he must have left right after they had gone into the restaurant. When they all came up with nothing, they decided that if Aang wasn't in any trouble, he would have gone back to the cave where they had hidden Appa. So they went back and decided to wait for him when they saw he wasn't there.

He didn't come back until late after dark. His entrance made known by the sound of his footsteps.

"Where have you been?" Katara asked him, "We've been worried sick!" As Aang came closer to the light of the fire they had made, Kotaro noticed he was covered in mud spots, looking like something made of mud had exploded near him.

"I got invited to play with some kids after school." Aang said, taking off his headband. Sokka jumped up from where he had been laying down and looked at Aang incredulously.

"After _what?_!" He asked him.

"I enrolled in a Fire Nation school." Aang said, "And I'm going back tomorrow." He looked very happy at the idea of returning, but Sokka did not.

"_Enrolled in WHAT?_!" He shouted, Kotaro watched as he fell back onto the ground with a blank expression.

* * *

Kagemi carefully slithered so she was in the corner of the building, watching the exchange between Zuko and his uncle, her eyes the only thing discernable about her shapeless form in the darkness. Iroh had changed from his appearance in her and Hoshiko's memories. He seemed dirtier, but that might have just been because of the clothes, and because the prisons didn't call for regular bathing. Another thing seemed different about him, something she couldn't quite put her finger on, but he seemed almost… vulnerable, dare she say. As if seeing Zuko opened up some old wound, which, considering everything that had happened, was the correct assumption.

"You brought this on yourself, you know." Zuko said to him, "We could have returned together. You could've been a _hero_!" Iroh said nothing, only shifted slightly more so he wouldn't see Zuko's face at all. "You have no right to judge me, Uncle. I did what I had to do in Ba-Sing-Se, and you're a fool for not joining me!" Iroh didn't even so much as twitch, "You're not gonna say _anything?_!" When Iroh didn't respond, Zuko ran to where a small stool sat, kicked it and punched it angrily, fire shooting out from his fist. "You're a crazy old man! You're crazy! And if you weren't in jail, you'd be sleeping in a gutter!" Zuko stormed out of the cell. Kagemi watched as he slammed the door shut, then looked back down at the old man to see that he had no other reaction. Strangely, though, Iroh looked up at the ceiling, and Kagemi froze, her dark eyes wide as he seemed to be staring _straight at her_.

Fearing she might be caught, Kagemi dashed out of the room by slipping under the door as a shadow and out through the hallway, feeling the old man's eyes follow her every movement. Once she was gone, Iroh sat quietly, looking at his hands as they rested in his lap.

* * *

Sokka stared at his monk friend after a very short, but very strange explanation as to everything that happened.

"Aang, I'm trying to be mature, and not immediately shoot down your idea," Sokka began, "But it sounds _really_ terrible."

"Yeah, we got our outfits." Toph said, "What do you need to go to _school_ for?" She said the word like it was something that disgusted her.

"Every minute I'm in that classroom," Aang said, "I'm learning new things about the Fire Nation. I already have a picture of Fire Lord Ozai." Aang pulled out a picture of the Fire Lord and presented it to his friends, "And here's one that I made out of noodles!"

"Impressive, I admit," Sokka said, "But I still think it's too dangerous!"

"Not just dangerous," Kotaro began, getting everyone's attention. "It's idiotic. The only thing those schools teach is the slanted history of the Fire Nation. It's been corrupted over the years, and learns only about things that glorify the country. I bet that half of the things you learn will be wrong according to everyone _else's_ history." Aang slumped his shoulders, unable to argue with the young wolf Shinjun's logic. His eyes brightened when he thought of an idea.

"I guess we'll never find out about the secret river, then." Aang smirked at Sokka, "It goes right to the Fire Lord's palace. We were _supposed_ to learn about it in class tomorrow…"

"Hmm…" Sokka put his hands together thoughtfully in front of him, "I_ am_ a fan of secret rivers." He looked over at Kotaro, "He's telling the truth about that river, right?" Kotaro shrugged.

"I may have lived in the Fire Nation, but I didn't get the 'pleasure' of going to any of the schools. Thankfully." Kotaro said, looking at Aang, "But I have heard a few things about a secret route that goes to the palace." Aang smiled at him, and Sokka turned his attention back to Aang.

"Alright, fine. We'll stay a few more days." Sokka said.

"Flamio, hotman!" Aang cheered, hopping up and dashing off to another part of the cave to get ready for school the next day.

Sokka looked over at his sister, "_'Flamio'_?" He questioned. Katara shrugged. Kotaro burst out in laughter and fell onto his back, holding his stomach as he guffawed loudly.

* * *

Zuko walked through the palace, still wearing his cloak as he headed back to his bedroom. Kagemi's shadowy from traveled along the walls he walked past. He noticed the black blob as it moved beside him and went down onto the floor in front of him. It increased in size and Kagemi came out from it, the darkness still clinging to her like it had before, but seeming to be more viscous than before as it stuck to her in long strands. When she had completely come out, she stood in front of Zuko, crossing her arms as she looked at him with her dark eyes. Zuko couldn't help but notice that some of the darkness in her eyes had spread out and was now appearing in tiny, almost invisible strings of black veins around her eyes.

"You're stupid." Kagemi said, looking at him disapprovingly.

"What?" Zuko exclaimed.

"You heard me." Kagemi said, Zuko glared at her, "Listen, in case you forgot, you're the _prince_. Going to visit your deadbeat uncle is going to cause a lot of problems with your citizens."

"You _followed_ me?" Zuko demanded.

"Yeah, I did." Kagemi said, "Only because I saw you trying to sneak back in last night. Now, listen to me." She pointed a clawed finger directly in his face, "You _better_ not screw this up. From what I remember hearing from _that girl's_ memories, you've been after this place for _years_. You screw it up now, and you're never getting it back. The Fire Lord needs the power from _both_ his children if he wants to win this war, and being his heir, you should be the first to step forward and help him!" Zuko moved her finger out of his face and glared at her.

"I don't need you to tell me what to do and not do." He said, walking past her. Kagemi growled lowly in her throat and ran at him at an inhuman speed, like she had done on the Fire Nation ship before, and got in front of him, her teeth bared as she got in his face. Even though she was a few inches shorter than the prince, she still intimidated him.

"You need to watch your step." She growled at him, "I know everything _that girl_ knew, and I_ know_ you know the avatar is alive." Zuko's eyes widened and he took a step back from the girl, surprised that she knew he knew, "I remember that spirit water the water bender had. The avatar isn't dead. And if you have _any_ sense at all you would be more concerned with how this war will end and _not_ with how your uncle is doing in his new prison cell!"

Zuko scowled and stepped up, glaring down at her, "My uncle was with me for three years. He did everything he could for me. It's not wrong for someone to go and visit him if they were in the same situation!"

"It is for _you_!" Kagemi shot back, "When you joined this side, you left your uncle and everything about that past behind you, and you can't second-guess your decisions, because there's _nothing_ you can do to change what happened!" She stepped away, her demeanor slightly calmer, but her dark eyes still glared. "Don't linger on your past Zuko, it's not good for you." She bowed slightly before she walked away, "Goodnight."

* * *

Aang walked into the entrance of the cave, looking guilty as he approached Katara and Sokka.

"Uh, guys?" He said, rubbing the back of his head nervously, "I need parents."

"Huh?" Sokka asked, looking up from his map.

"The headmaster told me to bring my parents to his office after school." Aang said, "I think I got in trouble."

"You're kidding." Kotaro said, looking at Aang, who shook his head.

"I'm not." He said, he looked over at Katara and Sokka, "I need you guys to be my parents! Please?"

Sokka and Katara shared a glance, and then stood up from where they had been sitting.

"I can help you guys make decent disguises if you want." Kotaro offered to them.

"Can you help me with mine?" Sokka asked, "I think I need a beard."

"I can definitely help with that." Kotaro said, getting up from his spot and following Sokka to another part of the cave.

* * *

Kotaro stood next to the door, pretending to be the family servant as Sokka and Katara, disguised as a bearded Fire Nation father, and a pregnant Fire Nation mother.

"Thank you for coming, Mister and Missus…" He trailed off, not knowing the last name.

"Fire!" Sokka said in a fake voice, "Wang Fire. This is my wife, Sapphire." He gestured to Katara, who nodded at the headmaster.

"Sapphire Fire, nice to meet you." She greeted.

"Mr. and Mrs.… Fire," The headmaster shook his head slightly, as if in disbelief that someone could have that name, "Your son, Kuzon, has been enrolled here for two days, and he's already causing problems. He's argued with his history teacher, disrupted music class, and roughed up my star pupil." Kotaro raised an eyebrow at Aang's back, wondering if he was just exaggerating or if he was telling the truth.

"My goodness!" Katara fake-gasped, "That doesn't _sound_ like our Kuzon."

"That's what any mother would say, ma'am." The headmaster replied. "Nonetheless, you are forewarned. If he acts up one more time, I'll have him sent to reform school!" He jumped up from his chair to emphasize his point, "By which, I mean the coal mines. Are we clear?"

"Don't you worry, Mr. Headmaster," Sokka assured in his fake voice, Kotaro smirked behind his hand and tried to hold back his laughter at the sound of it, "I'll straighten this boy out something fierce!" He turned to Aang and got in his face, saying, "Young man, as soon as we get home, you're getting the punishment of a lifetime!" Kotaro snorted in laughter and tried very hard not to laugh aloud.

The headmaster, ignoring the sound of Kotaro's laughter, sat back down in his chair, "That's what I like to hear." Katara, Aang, and Sokka got up from their seats and started walking away. Sokka did this cheesy walk that almost made Kotaro laugh again, but he held himself back as he followed them.

"Oh, and Mr. Fire," The headmaster called, making Sokka turn to him, "I think your Shinjun could do with some straightening out as well." He pointed to Kotaro when he said this, and Kotaro narrowed his eyes at the old man, growling lowly in his throat. Sokka, seeing his behavior, put his hand on Kotaro's shoulder and the other hand on the other arm.

"I will see to that, Mr. Headmaster," Sokka said in that same voice, he looked at Kotaro, ushering him along, "Come on, you have work to do." Kotaro glared at the old man as Sokka pulled him out of the office.

* * *

Kagemi stretched her arms as she yawned widely as she sat in a tree in the royal gardens. She rubbed her eye tiredly, not having gotten much sleep last night, and shifted as she sat in the branches, making herself comfortable. She heard the sound of someone's footsteps and didn't bother to open her eyes to see who it was.

"Didn't sleep well?" A familiar voice asked, Kagemi opened her eyes and looked down from the branches to see Azula looking up at her.

"Not too well, no, your majesty." Kagemi replied, she hopped down from the branches and landed in front of her, "Is there something you need me for?"

"Actually, yes." Azula said, "I need you to accompany me somewhere. I have a small task for you."

"Yes, princess." Kagemi said, following Azula out of the gardens and through the halls of the palace.

"Is that why your eyes are black?" Azula asked. Kagemi looked at her quizzically.

"Pardon?"

"Your eyes," Azula said, looking over her shoulder at her, "They seem to be getting darker than before."

"Oh, that's nothing your highness." Kagemi assured, unconsciously rubbing her eyes where the veins around her eyes had become black. "I'm sure it will go away with time." Azula nodded once and they continued to walk through the halls.

"I can't have you in bad condition," Azula continued, "If you were to fall ill, your worth to me and my father would significantly _drop_."

"I understand, your majesty." Kagemi said, narrowing her eyes as she caught the princess's subtle threat. _'If you can't help us, then you're as good as dead'_ Azula smirked.

"Good."

They continued walking in silence until they had reached the outside of the capital, walking along the walls of the city. Kagemi's ears twitched as she heard someone speaking not too far away from them.

"Orange is such an awful color." Mai's voice said. She heard someone's soft chuckling.

"You're so beautiful when you hate the world." Zuko's voice replied. Kagemi and Azula came up and they saw that Zuko and Mai were sharing a picnic as they watched the sunset. Mai's head rested on Zuko's shoulder.

"I don't hate you." Mai said, looking at him.

"I don't hate you, too." Zuko said, he leaned down and they shared a romantic kiss. Kagemi couldn't help herself as she gagged loudly at the sight of it. Zuko and Mai scowled, looking for who had interrupted their kiss and saw Azula and Kagemi standing not too far away from them.

"Zuko," Azula said, taking this moment to get his attention, "Could I have a word with you?"

"Can't you see we're busy?" Zuko replied, he leaned back in and began kissing Mai again. Kagemi scrunched up her nose disgustedly at the sight of it. Azula gave the couple a dry look.

"Oh, Mai, Ty Lee needs your help untangling her braid." Azula said, getting her attention. She turned to Kagemi, "Kagemi, escort her to Ty Lee, would you?" Kagemi nodded once in compliance.

"Sounds pretty serious." Mai said, getting up. Kagemi led the way as the two of them walked away from Azula, Mai giving her a dirty look at her back as she passed.

"So," Azula began once they were out of hearing range, "I hear you've been to visit your Uncle Fatso in the prison tower." Zuko stood up.

"Kagemi told you, didn't she?" He said angrily.

"No, _you_ did. Just now." Azula said, giving her brother the look a smug superior would give to their subordinate.

Zuko sat back down, looking away from her, "Okay, you caught me."

"How would Kagemi even know about it, anyway?" Azula asked, Zuko looked over at her.

"She followed me there that night." He said, "What is it that you want, Azula?" He assumed that, since she had brought it up, she wanted something in return for not ratting him out to anyone.

"Actually, nothing." Azula replied, "Believe it or not, I'm looking out for you. If people find out you've been to see Uncle, they'll think you're plotting with him." Zuko looked up at his sister, "Just be careful, dum-dum." Azula turned and walked away from her brother.

* * *

Mai and Kagemi walked in silence as they traveled to Ty Lee's home, provided to her by the royal family since she had no desire to live with her actual family. Her home wasn't too far from Mai's own house, so Mai knew exactly which way to go when Kagemi wasn't sure. As they walked, Mai couldn't help but steal a glance at the Shinjun's back, looking her up and down, seeing the new clothes she had been given. A long sleeved, black and red kimono top with an orange Fire Nation insignia on the breast of the shirt and a pair of black pants underneath. Basically, it was the same clothes that she had worn before she joined them, only Fire Nation style. Kagemi noticed her stares and gave her a look.

"Something the matter?" She asked, her voice icy and cold as she glared at Mai. She looked away from her.

"No." Mai replied.

"You're staring at me." Kagemi said, turning to her Mai completely so she could see her better as they stopped. "Why are you staring at me?"

"It's nothing." Mai said hastily, walking past her. Kagemi glared at her back.

"Is it because I'm a Shinjun?" She asked. Mai stopped walking, but didn't look at the Shinjun, "Is that it?"

"No." Mai turned around so she could see Kagemi's face, "I'm just wondering how you came to join our little group."

"Why's that?" Kagemi asked, stepping forward.

"Well, it wasn't all too long ago that you were fighting by the avatar's side." Mai said, Kagemi growled lowly in her throat and she bared her teeth to the young woman.

"I was a different person, then." She said through clenched teeth.

"You mean a person named Hoshiko." Mai said, Kagemi's face became murderous, eyes blazing in rage as she raised her hands and swiftly conjured up some shadows that turned into tentacles with razor sharp tips that dove for Mai's throat. She gasped and stepped back as they stopped just short of grazing her skin. She looked at Kagemi, whose hand was still raised, her teeth still bared as she let out a low, intimidating growl.

"_Never_ say that name again." She said, her growl sneaking in through her words. She lowered her hands and the shadows disappeared. "Ty Lee's home is just over the hill. You can find your way from here." She stalked away from Mai, who watched her leave with wide eyes. She didn't know that Kagemi had such fury towards her former self. She shook off her unease and walked over the hill Kagemi had been talking about, and instead of wasting her time at Ty Lee's, Mai decided to head home, knowing Ty Lee didn't really need any help with her braid.

* * *

"That settles it!" Sokka shouted in Aang's face once they had returned to the cave, "No more school for you, young man!"

"I'm not ready to leave." Aang said, he walked away from Sokka, "I'm having fun for once. Just being a normal kid." He looked back at his friend, "You don't know what it's like, Sokka, you get to be normal all the time!"

"Ha ha." Toph laughed mockingly at Aang's words. Sokka scowled at her.

"Listen guys," Aang continued, "Those kids at school are the future of the Fire Nation. If we wanna change this place for the better, we need to show them a little taste of freedom."

"Aang, while I agree wholeheartedly with you on starting with the kids," Kotaro began, "I don't think that'll work. What can you do for them that would show them freedom?"

"Yeah, Aang," Sokka agreed, "What could you possibly do for a country of depraved little fire monsters?"

"I'm gonna throw them a secret dance party!" Aang said excitedly. Everyone just stared at him for a moment, gaping.

"You're… kidding, right?" Sokka asked him. Aang shook his head.

"Nope!" Aang said happily. Kotaro sighed and shook his head.

"Gods help us…" He muttered to himself.

* * *

Kagemi walked the hallways of the palace again, not willing to go to sleep so soon. Her ears pricked as she heard the sound of a door opening and looked to see Zuko was sneaking out of his room again. Knowing where he was going, Kagemi sunk down into the floor and turned into a shadowy form again. She traveled along the walls and changed her form to Zuko's silhouette. When the shadow suddenly appeared on the wall and not the floor, Zuko glared at it.

"I know that's you, Kagemi." He said, he heard Kagemi growl and saw her stick her head out from the shadow, some of it clinging to her shoulders as she looked at him.

"You're being foolish." She told him, "Seeing your uncle was a bad idea from the beginning. I warned you the night before, Zuko. Things will only get worse if this keeps up."

"It's my last visit." Zuko said, "I promise." Kagemi rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"Yeah, _sure_ it is." She said sarcastically.

"You don't need to follow me." Zuko said, "Just go to bed."

"I don't think so." Kagemi said, stepping out of the shadows completely and going up to Zuko, poking his chest with her finger, "If you're going to be an idiot, then I need to make sure you're not making decisions that could kill you. Forming conspiracy theories in your people is fine, but if you're going to make a decision that could kill you, I'm going to stop you." Zuko looked at the young Shinjun in mild surprise.

"Kagemi, if I didn't know any better," Zuko said, "I'd say that you _cared_ about me." Kagemi's eyes widened, and Zuko saw the black veins around her eyes grew thicker and longer.

"I'm not doing it for _you_!" She growled angrily, "I'm doing it for your _father_! Like I said the other night, your father needs both his children to win this war! Don't go thinking that I actually _care_ about you!" She stomped off from him. When Zuko didn't move, she looked back at him, "Are you going to the prison tower or not? Come on!" Zuko, surprised she was taking the lead on this, followed her out of the palace.

* * *

"I can't believe we're having a dance party." Sokka said as he put various candles down along the walls to light up the cave. The beard was still on his face as he turned to Aang, "It seems so… silly!" Kotaro nodded his head in agreement as he got the ice cups that Katara had made for the punch they would serve as Toph bent up a huge stone stage for some musicians to stand on.

"Don't think of it as a dance party," Aang said, tying his headband on his head, "But as a _cultural_ event, celebrating the art of fancy footwork." Kotaro snorted in laughter as Aang did a small dance to demonstrate. Toph suddenly stood up straight as she felt the vibrations of many approaching feet.

"They're coming!" She shouted, "Everyone stop bending!" Aang looked over at Appa and went over to him.

"Sorry, buddy, you should probably wait out back." Aang said, Appa let out an unhappy grunt as he trudged away from them and further into the cave, "I know, you've got fancier feet than anybody. And six of 'em!" Aang smiled as he turned around to greet his guests, Kotaro's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the great number of students. Aang must have invited the entire school! Aang ran up to a few kids carrying instruments and directed them over to the stage that Toph had made. Once they were all set up, they asked Aang what kind of song to play, and he told them to play something festive and happy. They did just that, playing a song with a happy, bouncing beat.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Aang shouted happily, "The Flamios!" Kotaro smirked at his name choice, "Yeah, this oughta get everybody moving." Aang turned around and looked to see the boys and the girls had separated into two huge groups. Boys on one side, girls on the other.

"Now what do we do?" One boy asked Aang.

"This is when you start dancing!" Aang said, as if it were obvious.

"I don't think my parents want me dancing in a cave." Another boy said, shrinking behind the high collar of his school uniform.

"Yeah! What if someone finds out?" Another boy asked, looking around nervously.

"Oh, boy…" Aang muttered, rubbing the back of his head, "Listen guys, dancing isn't something you think about. It's a form of self-expression that no one can _ever_ take away from you."

"Maybe it was different in the colonies, Kuzon." The first boy said, stepping up to the front of the crowd of boys, "But we don't do that here."

"Sure you do," Aang said, "You have for generations! It just so happens I know a few classic Fire Nation dance moves." Kotaro and Sokka rolled their eyes at his words. _Just so happens, my foot._ "A hundred years ago, this was known as the Phoenix Flight!" Aang squatted down and started kicking his feet out in front of him, with his hands curved inward behind his back, running around in a circle. The students 'ooh'ed appreciatively. Aang jumped up, "And this was the Chamelephant Strut." Aang moved quickly from one side to the other, making slicing motions with his hands. He did a summersault and got to his feet in front of two girls, who giggled when he smiled at them. Aang did a flip backwards to complete the dance, and the students applauded him.

Away from the students, Kotaro sat with Toph and Katara, watching Aang dance along with the rest of the students from the Fire Nation school.

"Who knew Twinkle Toes could dance?" Toph said before taking a sip of the punch they had made.

"He's not half-bad." Kotaro said, Toph nodded her head in agreement.

"What about you, Wolfie?" She asked, "You got any dance moves?" Kotaro shrugged.

"A few, but they're mostly couples dancing stuff." He replied. He looked over at Katara and saw how she was smiling at Aang as he entertained the students.

* * *

Kagemi didn't bother to hide herself as she and Zuko went to visit Iroh. She leaned against a corner of the room, her dark eyes gleaming in the moonlight as Zuko pushed a basket of food through the cell bars Iroh was behind.

"I brought you some kimono chicken." Zuko said, "I know you don't care for it, but I figure it beats prison food." Iroh didn't reply, his back turned to Zuko and Kagemi. Zuko looked at his uncle's back, then sighed, "I admit it, I have everything I've always wanted, but it's not at all how I thought it would be." Kagemi raised an interested eyebrow at his words, wondering why the prince wouldn't be happy with everything he's always wanted, "The truth is I need your advice." Zuko put his hands up to the bars of the prison cell, resting his face near the bars, "I think the avatar's still alive, I _know_ he's out there. I'm losing my _mind_. _Please_, Uncle! I'm so confused, I need your help!" Zuko's pleas fell on deaf ears as Iroh said nothing in return. Zuko, angered by his lack of response stood up, "Forget it! I'll solve this myself! Waste away in here, for all I care!" Zuko stormed towards the door, and Kagemi pushed herself off the wall to follow him out. She saw him spare one last glance at the old man before leaving. Kagemi did the same, but hers was more suspicious than Zuko's pleading one. She followed Zuko out of the room and shut the large, metal door behind her.

Neither of them saw a single tear fall from Iroh's eyes as they left.

* * *

Aang did another impressive flip that was greeted with more applause. Thinking it was time to get some of the other kids involved, he walked over to Anji, a girl he had met at school, and held out his hand to her. She blushed shyly as she took it, letting him lead her out to the dance floor.

"And this is how they do it in the ballrooms of Ba-Sing-Se." Aang said, he moved his arms in circling motions as he stepped from side to side on his feet in a sway. Anji copied him and soon they were dancing together.

"Wow, they look pretty good together." Sokka commented.

"Eh, if that's what you like." Katara said uncaringly as she looked away from the two of them. Seconds later, other students came out and began performing the same dance that Aang was doing, some with friends, some by themselves.

"Yeah, that's it!" Aang encouraged, "That's the sound of happy feet!" Other kids quickly got into it, performing the simple dance with smiles on their faces, "Yeah, go with that! Everybody freestyle!" Kotaro watched as other students put their own touches to the dance, moving their arms differently, or moving their feet in different ways from how Aang had showed them, he even saw a couple boys doing a different dance entirely. Kotaro noticed one of the Fire Nation Academy girls leaning against the wall by herself. She had shoulder-length dark hair, and she averted her eyes away from the dancing couples, when her eyes accidentally met his, he saw that they were a hazel color, with just a light touch of blue. He felt his heart clench painfully at how much she reminded him of Hoshiko. He walked over to her, and held out his hand in a gentlemanly way to her. She blushed as she looked at the hand, then up at his face.

"May I have this dance?" He asked with a suave smile. Her blush deepened as she nodded, letting him take her hand and lead her out onto the dance floor near an empty spot for the two of them. Kotaro smiled at her as they started doing the ballroom dance. His smiled widened as she decided to twirl around. Kotaro reached up for her hand while she spun, and when she stopped, he held onto it and took her other hand. They linked their fingers and moved their hands together as they performed the same steps. Her blush didn't lessen at the new contact they shared. Daringly, Kotaro spun her out, and then pulled her back in so she was in his arms before joining his hand with hers again and continuing the dance they had been doing before. Kotaro laughed inwardly at the sight of her face, which was now completely red. Her gaze averted from him shyly and her blush disappeared as she saw something over his shoulder.

"Oh, wow!" She gasped, Kotaro looked back and saw that Aang was dancing with Katara. They were simply spinning while having their wrists meet the other's, but it resembled something of a pose two fighters would make before they began their battle.

"Aang… Everyone's watching." Katara replied nervously, seeing how all eyes were on them.

"Don't worry about them." Aang said, "It's just you and me right now." Kotaro smirked at Aang's comment. He watched as they combined fire bending style fighting into their dance, doing sharp, swift moves, and performing elegant spins and flips, they event went as far as to kick their legs over the other's head. Everyone watched them in awe as they moved around, their movements seeming to be completely unrelated, then suddenly becoming perfectly synchronized. At the final notes for the song, Aang pulled Katara in and dipped her down just as the song ended. Everyone cheered and applauded them for their dance. Kotaro held out his hand to the young woman he had been dancing with, silently asking her if she wanted to keep dancing. She was about to take his hand, when…

"Seuta!" She turned around and saw a boy coming up to her, but stopped when he saw Kotaro's hand was outstretched to her, "Oh, sorry…" He was about to walk away, and Kotaro saw the girl, named Seuta, look at him worriedly.

"Hey," Kotaro called to him, "I was just going. She's all yours." He bowed respectfully to her, "Thank you for the dance, Miss Seuta." She nodded.

"You're welcome…" She said quietly, taking the outstretched hand the boy offered her and dancing with him. Kotaro walked away from the couple, back to where Sokka and Toph were. Suddenly, the dancing stopped, and Kotaro looked to see the school's headmaster, along with three Fire Nation guards, had crashed their party. The aged man pointed his finger at Aang.

"He's the one we want!" He said, "The boy with the headband!" The three guards ran for Aang, who ran off, hiding in the crowd of kids. The guards quickly searched the heads of kids for one with a headband. One guard found it, and grabbed the boy's shoulder.

"Looking for me?" The boy asked, revealing that he was not Aang, just wearing a headband like Aang was. The guard looked around confusedly, wondering if this was the right kid or not.

"That's not the one!" The headmaster growled, "He's here somewhere. Don't let him leave the cave!" Another guard searched through the crowd for the headband-wearing boy, and found one of them. He grabbed their shoulder and they turned to face him.

"Yes?" Anji questioned the man who grabbed her shoulder with a smile. Another guard looked around and saw two boys with headbands. She ran up and turned them both around to reveal that they weren't Aang. The headmaster ground his teeth in anger and searched the crowd for Aang himself, seeing how one person with a headband suddenly ran away when he saw them. He ran after them and grabbed them by the shirt collar to reveal that it was a short girl with pigtails.

"Looking for someone?" She asked him. The headmaster walked backwards, and his back met the guards' as they soon found themselves surrounded by kids wearing headbands, all of them trying to get their attention.

In reality, Aang had slipped away with all of his friends with him. He looked back at the student who had started it, and he winked at Aang. Aang bowed the respectful Fire Nation bow in return and went through the cave, using earth bending to close up the cave behind him. Toph made an exit tunnel for them and they all got on Appa's saddle, riding away from the cave. Once they were safely in the air, Katara turned to her brother.

"We're safe, Sokka." She said, "You can take off the moustache now."

"_Oh_, no I can't." Sokka said, stroking the beard, "It's permanently glued to my skin." Kotaro rolled his eyes.

"Oh, really?" He reached over and yanked the beard from Sokka's face, who yelped in surprise when he did.

"Hey!" Sokka whined, snatching the beard away from Kotaro's hands as he laughed.

"Way to go, Dancey Pants," Toph said to Aang, "I think you really _did_ help those kids. You taught them to be free."

"I don't know," Aang said, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish smile, "It was just a dance party, that's all."

"Well, that was _some_ dance party, Aang." Katara said, she went over to him and kissed his cheek, making Aang blush slightly. Kotaro smirked, seeing how close Aang and Katara were getting.

There was definitely some romance in their near future.

* * *

Kagemi followed Zuko as they walked out into an empty harbor in the early hours of the morning. Zuko was certain this was the right way to end his problems about the avatar. It was Kagemi's suggestion that he do it when they left the prison tower, after all. As they waited, they heard the sound of a heavy footstep, and then the sound of metal clashing against metal. Zuko turned around to face the man.

"You're sure you weren't followed?" Zuko asked the man, who nodded once in reply. "I've heard about you… they say you're good at what you do."

"And even better at keeping secrets." Kagemi put in, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at the man. He was rather tall, about 6'4", and his left hand and right leg were made of metal. And in the middle of his forehead rested a tattoo in the shape of a sideways eye.

"The avatar is alive." Zuko said, "I want you to find him, and _end him_."

"In return, we'll pay you a large amount of gold." Kagemi said, pulling out a bag from her pouch and showing it to him, shaking it up and down so he would hear the sound of money jingling inside, "Say… fifty gold pieces?" She smirked slyly at the man. She wasn't familiar with his real name, but everyone knew him as an assassin, and a good one at that. When the man reached for the gold, she pulled her hand away, "Uh-uh. First, you give us the avatar's body. Understand?" The man nodded and walked away from them. Kagemi pocketed the money, looking over at Zuko, "You think Cyclops there will get the job done?"

"He will." Zuko said, "They say he's relentless." Kagemi looked at where the man was leaving, her eyes following him and his uneven footsteps curiously. "Come on." She looked over at the prince as he walked away from her, "We need to get back to the palace." Kagemi followed him as they walked away from the meeting place.


	27. The Painted Lady

27

Kagemi rested her head on her knee as she sat on the roof of one of the outdoor hallways in the palace. Her eyelids were lowered slightly as she hugged her knee closer to herself. Her other leg was flat against the roof tiles. She closed her eyes as she sighed. She reached up a clawed hand to her face, her fingers going to the strange crack-like veins that were beginning to form around her dark eyes. When she pulled her hand away, she was able to bend a little bit of shadow out of it, removing part of the darkness that had formed on her skin. She stared as she turned the shadow into a small, harmless black ball, turning it over and over in her hands. She released the shadow from her hold and let it dissipate in the sunlight as she jumped down from the roof and going into the hallway.

As she reached the end of it, she went into the first room she found, and looked around for an object with a reflective surface. The room she was in was full of dust and old books that had no title on their covers. She didn't care enough about the books as she went past them towards the well-made bed that rested on the wall opposite the door. She went over to the nightstand next to the bed and pulled out a small, hand-held mirror and held it up so she could see her face.

She reached up with her other hand and used her shadow bending to get rid of the black, crack-like veins that had formed around her eyes. Once the blackness was gone, she looked her face over in the mirror, seeing no remnants of it. She smirked at her success and put the mirror down on the bed, walking out of the room. She paused for a moment, sniffing the air, recognizing an odd scent that was an old brand of perfume. She looked around and saw that, on the bedroom's vanity table, there was a small, glass bottle of the very substance she had smelled. She looked curiously at the old, title-less books resting on a desk on the wall opposite the vanity and went over to it, picking up the red-colored one and opening it to the first page.

_—Monday, May 13__th__, early morning_

_My baby woke me up again this night, or, maybe I should say very early this morning. I got up, waiting for him to stop kicking, but the night air was chilly, so I simply decided to go to the library until he stopped. I reread one of my favorite stories, The Man and the Sun. I don't know how often I've read that particular tale, or how much I can't wait to tell the story to my baby, but I know I've read it enough to memorize every word._

Kagemi quirked an eyebrow at the diary entry. She flipped through a few pages until she saw a clue as to who the person was that had written this.

_—Thursday, February 4__th__, late afternoon_

_Today, we celebrated Zuko's first birthday. Iroh and I worked hard to throw the most extravagant party for him, and he seemed to be the most delighted with the candles we had put on his cake. I wish I could plant that picture of his smiling face into my memory forever, he's such a sweet boy. Ozai was, unfortunately, too busy to attend, but he made sure to get Zuko a present, it was—_

Kagemi shut the book, having no interest in reading the diary of the former Fire Lady. She put it back down and left the dusty old room. In the back of her mind, but not far back enough to be Hoshiko's thoughts, she curiously wondered what that room was, and why Fire Lady Ursa's belongings were in it. She shrugged it off as she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Kotaro looked over the side of the saddle he, Sokka, Katara, and Toph rode in as Appa trudged through a murky, and very mucky river. Aang was in the water of the river, playing a game with Momo. He would call out the lemur's name, and dive under the water before the lemur could get to him. Kotaro held his nose the entire time, for the river smelled of every pollutant he could ever name, and maybe some he had never heard of. It smelled terrible.

He grimaced as Aang jumped up, covered in the disgusting water into the saddle. "Hey guys, I think this river's polluted." He used air bending to get the muck off of him, and it flew off onto everyone else. Kotaro groaned, and almost retched at the way his clothes now reeked of the pollutants. Aang quickly blew the muck off of them, but the scent still remained.

"That might explain why it smells so _terrible_." Kotaro said, covering his nose.

"It doesn't smell _that_ bad." Katara said.

"_Your_ sense of smell isn't ten times stronger than the average human." Kotaro said with a small glare.

"And it explains why I can't catch a fish around here." Sokka said as he fished off the back of Appa's saddle. "Because, you know, my fishing skills are," He pulled up his fishing hook, "_Off the hook!_ Get it? Like a fishing hook!"

"Too bad your skills aren't _on_ the hook." Toph said, everyone let out a small laugh. Sokka scowled and put his fishing hook away, not bothering to fish anymore.

"It looks like we'll need to go somewhere else to get food." Katara said, she gave her brother a dry look as he rolled out a large, multi-colored schedule scroll. "Assuming that'll fit into Sokka's _master schedule_."

"Hmm…" Sokka looked over the schedule thoughtfully, "It's doable, but that means only two potty breaks today." Kotaro rolled his eyes.

"Hey, maybe we can get food there." Aang said, pointing to what looked like a small village on the water.

* * *

Once they found a good place to hide, Aang had Appa crouch down and he pulled up a grass camouflage over his head, but his horns still stuck out. He smiled.

"Now you look like a little hill with horns." He said, "Bye, buddy!" He went back to the others, not seeing how Momo climbed under his own grassy camouflage beside Appa.

"I don't feel anything." Toph said as they approached the shore of the river, "Where's this village?"

"It's in the middle of the river." Kotaro said, pointing it out.

"Sure is!" A voice said, they turned to see an old man on a gondola, "My name's Doc. Mind if I ask who you are?" The man, Doc, seemed genuinely friendly towards them, and not intimidating in the way they expected.

"We're, um, from the Earth Kingdom colonies." Katara lied.

"Wow, colonials!" The man said, he turned his head slightly and laid eyes on Kotaro, "And a Shinjun, too! We don't get too many of your kind around here." Kotaro shrugged, "Hop on, I'll give you a ride into town." They took him up on his offer and stepped onto his gondola, letting him bring them into town.

"Why do you guys live on the river?" Katara asked as they rode along.

"Because we're a fishing town." Doc said, bringing his pole that he used to guide the boat over their heads to bring it to the other side.

"That's actually how a lot of fishing villages are, Katara." Kotaro said, "They live on the water so they don't have to go too far from home to get the fish they need."

"That's right!" Doc said, impressed by the Shinjun's knowledge, "That's exactly how it was, at least, before the factory moved in." As he spoke, they looked to see a Fire Nation factory off in the distance, with tall, black smoke stacks rising up from it. "Army makes their metal there. Moved in a few years ago and started gunking up our river. Now, our little village is struggling to survive." Aang and Katara shared a sad glance as they came up to a small, empty dock and they were dropped off. Kotaro pulled Toph up onto the dock, and she groaned slightly at the wooden surface she stood on. She could see on wood just fine, but she just wished she was on earth instead.

"Thanks for the ride!" Aang said to Doc, waving goodbye as they walked through the village. Everywhere they turned, they saw people who were miserable. They lied around the outside of their homes, with horribly pale looks on their faces. There was no exception among the people in their conditions, every place Kotaro turned, he saw elderly couples, young men and women, even children, who looked like they were waiting for death to come.

"Look at this place…" Katara murmured, seeing everything Kotaro saw, "It's so sad…" She turned to her friends, "We have to do something to help."

"No, we can't waste our time here." Sokka said, "We have a bigger mission we need to stay focused on. These people are _on their own_!" Katara scowled at her brother, angered by his words as he walked away. She went up to him and grabbed his shoulder to get his attention.

"These people are starving!" She said, "But you turn your back on them? How can you be so cold and heartless?"

"I'm not turning my back!" Sokka retorted, "I'm just being realistic! We can't go around helping every rinky-dink town we wander into. We'll be helping them all by taking out the Fire Lord!" Kotaro inhaled a sharp breath through his nose and covered Sokka's mouth with his hand.

"Hey, _Blabbermouths_!" He hissed at them, "It _might_ be a good idea to be a little bit quieter when we talk about taking out the Fire Lord." Sokka moved Kotaro's hand away from his mouth and looked at his sister.

"Come on, Katara, be reasonable about this." Sokka said, "You know our mission has to come first."

"I guess so…" Katara said reluctantly, looking away from him.

"Let's just get what we need and go." Aang said, smiling at the resolved conflict.

"Yeah, the sooner we get out of here, the better." Kotaro said, covering his nose with his hand. They walked around the village, and finally, they came to a place with a pair of fish skeleton jaws at the front of its grassy roof. As they came up to the front, they saw a man whose back was turned to them. Aang rang a small bell on the desk and the man turned around, and they saw a familiar face.

"Hey, Doc." Sokka greeted, "You work here, too?"

"I'm not Doc." Doc said, "I'm Xu. Doc's my brother." Kotaro gave the man an odd look.

"But we just saw you." Aang said, "You're even wearing the same clothes. The only difference is your hat."

"Doc works on the docks," Doc/Xu said, "That's why they call him Doc. And I work in the shop, that's why they call me Xu." He smiled at them.

"…I don't get it." Aang said.

"Me neither." Doc/Xu said.

"I think this river's water has gone to his head." Kotaro whispered to Toph, who nodded in agreement.

Doc/Xu dove under the table and came back up with a box filled with disgusting fish and clams. "What can I get you?" Kotaro grimaced, holding his nose at the foul odor of the fish and clams, "Hey, I'll give you a special deal! If you buy three fish, I'll throw in a clam for free!" Sokka, wary of the clams, reached down and pushed on one, watching as brown gunk spilled out of it. He shuddered in disgust.

"We'll just take the fish." He said, picking up three fish and handing them to Doc/Xu to have them wrapped up, "Mind telling your brother we need a ride back to shore?"

Doc/Xu handed the fish to Kotaro, then dove under the table again, coming back up with his Doc hat.

"Hey colonials!" He greeted, "My brother says you need a lift." He jumped over the counter and they followed him. As they left, Kotaro felt someone pulling on his pant leg and looked down to see a little boy with a big scar on his shoulder.

"Can you spare some food?" He asked in the politest tone he could manage. Kotaro looked down at the young man sympathetically, and then took out a fish from the ones they had bought.

"Here." He said, he handed it to the young boy, who smiled at him, "I wish there was more I could do." The boy said nothing, thanking him with a deep bow, then running off to a small hut away from the shop. Kotaro saw that the fish wasn't for him, but for his mother, who lay sick in bed. She smiled at her son, putting a hand on his shoulder when he showed her the fish. Kotaro looked at the two sadly before walking away, following the others.

* * *

"_Ach_! Hey!" Kotaro held his nose as Toph purposely brought the gunk she had bended out of the water to help purify it near his nose. "Get that disgusting goop away from me!" Toph laughed as she brought over to a pile where she was placing the pollutants while the clean water was being sent to Katara from Aang and into a pot where they were purifying the water further and boiling it as they were cooking the fish they had brought. Kotaro glared at Toph and got up, walking over to Katara to get some water to drink. Sokka also came over, going over his schedule as he got his own water.

"Our detour into town today has completely thrown off our schedule." Sokka said as he went over it, "It's gonna take some serious finagling to get us back on track." He rolled out the schedule completely and laid it on the ground to get a better look at it.

"Finagle away, O schedule master." Toph said mockingly as she went over to Katara to get some water for herself, as did Aang.

"Well, for starters," Sokka began, "It looks like we'll have to wake up forty three minutes earlier every day."

"Forty _three_?" Kotaro asked, _why so specific?_

"Look, we only have a few weeks to get to the Fire Lord in time for the invasion and the eclipse!" Sokka said, he pointed to the end of his schedule, "Which, by the way, only lasts for _eight minutes_." He pointed to a spot further up on his schedule, specifically to the day they were on now, "And we just lost a whole day, so if we wanna make up time and stay on schedule, we have to wake up early!"

"Well, _I'm_ not waking up early." Toph said, linking her fingers behind her head and laying down on the ground.

"_Or_ we could just cut out all of our eating breaks." Sokka said pointedly.

"What?" Aang whined.

"No way!" Katara said.

"Not happening." Kotaro said.

"Forget it." Toph said, jumping up to a sitting position. Sokka hummed thoughtfully.

"I got it!" Sokka said, "How's this: from now on, we'll take food breaks and potty breaks at the _same time_!" Everyone grimaced at his idea, "Hey, it might be gross, but it's efficient. Either way, we have to leave here first thing tomorrow morning." He picked up his schedule and rolled it back up.

* * *

Kotaro lay on his back, looking up at the night sky, one hand behind his head, the other resting on his chest. He should have been asleep a while ago, but since he lost his Hoshiko, he had suddenly become an insomniac, and he found it difficult to sleep.

"Kotaro…?" A voice whispered, Kotaro turned to see Aang was still awake, "Are you awake?"

"Yeah," He said. Aang turned so he lay on his side, looking over at the wolf Shinjun.

"Do you remember when we were talking on the Fire Nation ship about Hoshiko?" Aang asked, Kotaro's face darkened slightly at the mention of her name, but he nodded.

"Yes, I remember." He said, "What about it?"

"When I told you about Kagemi coming out, you said something." Aang said, "I'm not sure, but I thought you said she might not be dead."

"That's what I said." Kotaro replied, "Aang, have you ever met Kagemi?" Aang shook his head.

"No, I don't think so, at least." He said. Kotaro turned his gaze from the young avatar to the sky above him.

"Kagemi and Hoshiko are two completely different people." He said, "It's very rare for them to agree on anything, so, naturally, their beliefs are completely different. Where Hoshiko's pride would sooner make her cut her own throat, Kagemi would cling to the chance of life. She would do whatever she could to survive, even be a Fire Nation prisoner." Kotaro smiled slightly, "And if Kagemi's alive, then Hoshiko is _definitely_ alive."

"Do you really think that?" Aang asked, Kotaro looked over at him, "What if that's just empty hope?"

Kotaro shrugged, "Any hope is better than none at all." Aang seemed to contemplate his words, then rolled onto his back. Kotaro rolled onto his side so his back was facing Aang, and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Kotaro looked to see Katara petting Appa's cheeks as he groaned, laying on his side. Kotaro got up and out of his sleeping bag and went over to the big beast just as Aang was getting up.

"What's the matter, Katara?" Aang asked, going over to the bison.

"I think Appa's sick." Katara said.

"_What?_!" Sokka cried, jumping out of his bed in Appa's saddle, "Appa's _sick?_! That's _awful_!" He dashed over to the bison's side.

"Wow, Sokka." Toph said, "I didn't realize you cared so much."

"Of _course_ I care!" Sokka said, pulling out his schedule from under his shirt, "I might as well just throw our schedule away now!" When he heard silence, he looked up and saw everyone was glaring at him, and he went over to Appa, petting his face affectionately, "…And I'm concerned because my big, furry friend doesn't feel well."

"I bet you he got sick from being in that polluted water." Kotaro said.

"He doesn't _look_ sick." Aang said, "You okay, buddy?" At his question, Appa groaned again, opening his mouth and letting Aang see his tongue, which was now a strange shade of purple. Aang grabbed it and pulled it out, falling on his behind when his grip slipped. "His tongue is purple! That can't be good! Katara, can you heal him?" Katara went over, looking at Appa's tongue.

"It looks like he needs some medicine." She said, "Maybe we can find the right herbs in town."

* * *

As they walked through the town, everyone noticed a significant change in the people who lived there. Adult couples were chatting pleasantly with each other, while their kids ran around, playing games with each other.

"Is it just me or does this place seem different?" Toph asked.

"Yeah, are the people… happier?" Aang asked, seeing all the activity. They went over to the shop and saw Doc/Xu standing there, polishing something.

"Hey, Xu, what's going on with everyone today?" Sokka asked.

"Something amazing happened last night!" Doc/Xu said, "Food was delivered to our village by a mysterious and wonderful person! The Painted Lady!"

"The painted what now?" Kotaro asked.

"The Painted Lady!" Doc/Xu repeated, he put the thing he had been polishing down on to the counter and they saw it was a statue of a woman covered in face paint, "She's part of our town's lore. They say she's a river spirit who watches over our town in times of need. I always thought she was just a legend! Until now."

"See?" Sokka said, turning to Katara, "We don't need to help these people. They already have someone to help them." Sokka looked back at Doc/Xu, "All we need is medicine for our sick friend."

"Medicine?" Doc/Xu echoed, "Sorry, all the medicine we have goes to the factory. That's why there's so many sick people in our village."

"Looks like we need to stay another night so Appa can rest." Katara said. Sokka sighed unhappily.

"I guess you're right." He said, he looked back at Doc/Xu, "You got any more food to sell?" Doc/Xu dove under the table and came up with two fish.

"Would you like the one-headed fish, or the two-headed fish?" He asked, presenting them both to Sokka. Sokka thought about it for a moment.

"Two-headed!" He said, taking the fish from Doc/Xu. Everyone grimaced and groaned in disgust at the sight of the fish. Sokka turned around, "What? You get more for your money that way!" Everyone groaned again and ran away from the disgusting fish while Sokka ran after them, still trying to prove his point about the fish.

* * *

Kotaro's eyes opened as he heard the sound of rustling and he looked up to see someone was walking near their campsite. Growing suspicious, Kotaro got out of his sleeping bag and went over to the person. He was surprised when he saw the Painted Lady only a few feet away from him, but something seemed off about her. Normally, he was pretty sure that water spirits didn't need to put paint on their faces every day. He got a little closer, and his nose picked up a familiar scent. One he had learned belonged to a certain someone not too long ago.

"Katara, what do you think you're doing?" Katara jumped at the sound of his voice, and he quirked an eyebrow at her as she jumped up.

"K-Kotaro!" She said in surprise, "I-I… I was just… um…" Kotaro crossed his arms and leaned against the rock, waiting for her excuse, "I-I… was…"

"You were…?" Kotaro egged, Katara sighed.

"You saw those people in the village!" She said, "They need help! They're all so sick, and…!"

"I know, I know." Kotaro said, he took in a deep breath, "And the Painted Lady get up is for what reason?"

"In case anyone catches me." Katara said, "It'd be pretty weird for a girl from the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom to be a water bender, don't you think?" Kotaro shrugged.

"True." He said, he looked over at her, "So, Appa's purple tongue is…?"

"My fault." Katara said, "I've been feeding him these berries that make his tongue purple, so…" Kotaro nodded. He looked back over at the others, then back at Katara.

"We can't stay here forever." He said, "You know that, right?"

"…I know." Katara said, squirming like a child would when they were being lectured by their parents, "I won't be too long. Just a couple more days."

Kotaro stared at Katara, then sighed, "Fine. I won't say anything. But _only_ a couple days."

"I won't make us stay for too long, I promise." Katara said. Kotaro nodded once, getting up from the rock he was leaning against and turning around, "Um…" He looked over his shoulder at her, quirking an eyebrow, "Could you… not tell everyone about this?" Kotaro nodded.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." He said, he turned back to his front and gave a lazy wave as he went back to his sleeping bag to try and get some sleep.

* * *

The next morning, after giving Appa another diagnosis and deciding that he was still too sick to travel. So they headed off to the shop to get some more food, where they found Doc/Xu polishing his Painted Lady statue with his Doc hat on.

"Hey, Doc," Sokka said, coming up to him, "Is Xu around?"

"Let me check." Doc/Xu said, he whistled as he ran away from the shop in a semi-circle, ducked down, and came up with his Xu hat, coming back to the shop. "Hey there! Back again, are you?" Toph came up and pushed Sokka aside.

"We need more food." She said, "Our friend is still sick and we can't leave until he's better." She slammed down some Fire Nation money on the counter and turned away. Doc/Xu took the money and put out a plate of nasty clams.

"Oh, that's too bad." He said, "Maybe if you guys are lucky, the Painted Lady will visit you in the night and heal your friend." Sokka, who always preferred the logical, scientific version of everything, was a little irritated at the idea of a fictional spirit coming to heal Appa, which she probably wouldn't do anyway, if she were real.

"And maybe she'll cook us a midnight snack, and we'll all have a sing-a-long!" He said sarcastically as he picked up the plate.

"Yeah, maybe!" Doc/Xu said, oblivious to his sarcasm, "You know, last night, she visited us again? Healed most of our sick folks."

"Is that why this place seems so festive?" Aang asked, watching as some kids ran around with kites and people cheered as they pulled up a statue of the Painted Lady.

"Yup! It's all because of the Painted Lady." Doc/Xu said.

"Can you believe how much an entire village can be affected by one lady?" Katara asked happily, "I mean… Spirit?" She smiled at the sight of the statue.

"Well, I hope she returns every night," Sokka said, "Otherwise, this place would go right back to the way it was."

"Why would you say that?" Katara asked, whipping around to face her brother, "Look how much better off these people are!"

"Yeah, _now_!" Sokka said, "But, without her, they wouldn't be able to fend for themselves! If she really wanted to help, she would use her spirit magic to blow up that factory." Sokka lifted up his hands in an odd waving motion and went, "_Ooooh~!_" Before imitating the sound of an explosion. Katara scowled at her brother irately.

"Spirit magic doesn't work that way, Sokka." Aang said intelligently, "It's more like…" Aang raised up his arms, keeping his hands together as he waved them around going, "_Oooh-Woooh~!_" Then imitating the sound of another explosion. Katara clenched her fists together angrily, and then stalked off from the two boys as they laughed about spirit magic. Kotaro sighed, rubbing the back of his head before following her over to the docks, looking at the factory that belonged to the Fire Nation.

"Katara," He said in a warning tone, making her turn to him, "I know what you're thinking. Don't do it. It's stupid, and for Gods' sake, you could get yourself killed."

"I know it's stupid." Katara said, "But they have a good point!" She glared at the factory, "That factory caused all these problems, and if it _was_ destroyed, they would all stop."

"It's not that simple." Kotaro said, coming up beside her, giving her a stern look, "Katara, every action has consequences. Just like when they decided to build that factory, it destroyed this river, and ruined this town. If you destroy the factory, there's a good chance that will hurt the town, too."

"Oh, how would you know?" Katara asked, "You were just some slave in someone's house. You know no more about the Fire Nation than I do."

"Katara!" He exclaimed in offense, shocked that she even brought up his past that way. She stormed off from him, and he sighed, seeing how stubborn she was being about this. He looked up at the sky, his eyes turning sad, "What would you do in a situation like this, Hoshi…?"

* * *

Kotaro woke up with a yelp and a jolt upwards as a piece of earth jabbed into his side. He rubbed his ribs, glaring at Toph.

"_What?_!" He demanded angrily.

"Aang and Katara are gone." Toph said. Kotaro rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"So?" He asked.

"_So_, Katara's sleeping bag is filled with grass!" Sokka said, holding up a clump of the green plants in his hand, "She doesn't want us to know she's gone!" Kotaro sighed angrily to himself, knowing that Katara had done exactly what he had told her not to do.

"Damn it all." He muttered under his breath as he got up from his sleeping bag. He went over to where Katara kept her things, and Toph and Sokka looked at him curiously.

"What are you doing?" Sokka asked. Kotaro said nothing as he kept going through her things and found a small bag with a drawstring. He opened it, and found a large amount of purple berries inside. He stood up and walked over to Toph, holding out the bag.

"Toph, eat this." He said, Toph stepped back.

"Why?" She demanded, wary of the sudden fruit he was giving her.

"Because it will explain exactly why Katara is gone, and why everything has been happening down in the town." Kotaro said, he shoved the bag of berries at her, "Now eat." Toph took a small handful and put them in her mouth, chewing them, then swallowing.

"They don't taste that good." She said.

"Toph, stick out your tongue." Kotaro ordered, Toph did as he asked, and they saw the berries had turned Toph's tongue…

"Purple!" Sokka exclaimed, "Toph, your tongue is purple!"

"Like Appa's." Kotaro said, Toph pulled her tongue back in and they both looked over at him, "I didn't say anything earlier because I thought she was doing a good thing, but now, I think she's taken it way too far."

"What are you talking about?" Sokka asked, suddenly suspicious of what Kotaro had to say.

"Katara's the Painted Lady." Kotaro said, Sokka's eyes widened, "She's been using those berries to make Appa look sick so she could have a little bit longer to help out the town. She's been dressing herself up and sneaking out in the middle of the night to get them food, or medicine or something like that."

"_What?_!" Sokka cried angrily. Toph's head turned as she felt the vibrations of two familiar pairs of feet walking towards them.

"Guys, they're coming!" Toph hissed. Kotaro heard them as Aang laughed, imitating the sound of an explosion before Katara shushed him.

"We don't want to wake Sokka." She whispered. They came around the corner, and saw Toph, Sokka, and Kotaro standing there, glaring them down like a parent would a guilty child. Katara jumped before nervously greeting him, "…Hi, Sokka! We were just… out on… a morning walk."

"Oh, really?" Sokka asked dubiously, "A _morning walk_?" He bent down, picking up her sleeping bag and shaking it, making all the grass that was hidden inside it fall out. Katara and Aang grimaced guiltily, "Kotaro told us everything, Katara. I _know_ you're the Painted Lady, I know you've been sneaking out at night, and I know you've been lying about Appa and feeding him _purplizing-tongue berries_!" The last part of his speech was slurred because he had stuck out his own tongue to make a point before gesturing to Toph, who stuck out her purple tongue. "Katara, what you did put our whole mission in jeopardy! We're leaving right now!" Katara hung her head ashamedly, and walked away to pack up her things. Aang walked a little ways behind her, and as he passed by Sokka, he snapped, "And how long did _you_ know about this?"

Aang jumped at his sudden accusatory tone, "Hey, I just found out this morning." Sokka turned back to Kotaro.

"You should have told me about this the minute you found out." He scolded, Kotaro scowled.

"Well, excuse me for thinking that what your sister was doing was a good thing!" He snapped, going over to where his things were.

As everyone was packing, they suddenly heard the revving of engines and they all looked up. They went over to a cliff that over looked the village and saw a large group of soldiers going to the village on Fire Nation water skimmers.

"What's going on?" Toph asked as she went over to the others.

"Fire Nation soldiers are heading to the village." Aang said as she squatted down beside him.

"What did you do?" Sokka demanded of Katara.

"I, kind of, destroyed their factory…" Katara mumbled.

"You _WHAT?_!" Sokka yelled.

"It was _your_ idea!" Katara quickly retorted.

"I was _joking_!" Sokka said, "I also said to use spirit magic and made funny noises!" He slapped his forehead with his hand.

"Katara, this is exactly why I told you not to do that!" Kotaro said, scolding her as if she were a child, "Didn't you think this through? The army is going to blame the villagers for what you've done! They're heading there right now to get their revenge!"

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Katara asked.

"Leave!" Sokka said, "Do nothing!" Katara clenched her fists.

"No!" She said fiercely, turning to her brother, "I will never, _ever_ turn my back on people who need me!" Sokka looked at his sister with wide eyes as she stood up, "I'm going down to the village, and I am gonna do whatever I can." She walked away from them. Kotaro looked over at Sokka, who seemed to waging a mental battle before he stood up and went after his sister.

"Wait," He grabbed her shoulder to make her stop, "I'm coming, too."

Katara turned to face him, "I thought you didn't want to help."

"_You_ need _me_." Sokka said, "And I will never turn my back on you." Katara's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, before she smiled softly at her brother.

"Sokka, you really _do_ have a heart." Katara cooed before embracing him. Kotaro internally rolled his eyes at the cheesy sound of her line.

* * *

The five of them hid out at the shoreline, eavesdropping on the words the general in charge of the factory said to the villagers once they had all been gathered before him.

"I thought we could live as neighbors in peace," The general said loudly, making sure his words were heard by all the villagers, "But I guess I was wrong. You steal our food, our medicine, and then you destroy our factory!"

"We didn't do any of that!" Doc/Xu said, wearing his Doc hat. He ducked down and reappeared again in his Xu hat and said, "Yeah! The Painted Lady _brought_ us food! _She's_ the one that healed our sick, not your medicine!"

"Oh, right." The general said, picking up a small figurine of the Painted Lady, "The mysterious Painted Lady did it." He looked over at a container filled with rice, "And I suppose she drew the army emblem on your containers, too!" He threw the figurine at the container, shattering them both when he did. "This is a town of thieves and liars!" He lifted up his hand and, in a rage, used fire bending to destroy one of the villager's homes. "Where's your Painted Lady now?" The villagers cowered at the sight of his glare, which was only intensified from his rage towards them. "We're going to rid the world of this wretched village." With the wave of his hand, a few of the soldiers took off, riding on the water skimmers and swinging long, metal hooks around and attaching them to the posts that held up a couple of the houses and, using the power of the skimmer's engine, brought the houses down into the murky water.

"This is bad…" Kotaro muttered, seeing the damage they were doing.

"What do you think we should do?" Toph asked, even though she couldn't see anything the soldiers were doing, she could hear the sound of the houses collapsing into the water.

Sokka turned to his sister, "Katara, hurry and get into that Painted Lady costume of yours. I have an idea." Katara nodded and ran off, going to put on the costume. Sokka turned to Toph, "Toph, go find a big boulder and get ready to bend it when I tell you." Toph nodded once and went over to where she knew a nice, big boulder was waiting, Sokka looked over at Kotaro, "Go and get Appa, and get my bag when you get to camp." Kotaro nodded once and ran off, going to the camp. Sokka turned to Aang, "I need you to bend up some mist, and stop any fires they try to start with your air bending." Aang nodded, using water bending to create a small mist. A moment later, Katara and Kotaro came back, Appa not too far behind them, and Katara in her costume. Kotaro handed Sokka's bag to him, and watched as he pulled out a small flute.

When the soldiers brought out some bombs, Aang used his air bending to put out the fire they had made around it to prevent it from blowing up. The soldiers shared a confused glance and used fire bending to light it again, but Aang used air bending to put it out once more.

"Light it again!" The general commanded, the soldiers did as he ordered, but before the fire could even stay lit, Aang blew it out.

"Look at that! Where's it coming from?" One of the soldiers asked aloud.

"I don't know…" The other muttered, he looked out at the large mist that Aang had bent up, and was now using as a cover as he silently traveled across the water and under one of the docks in the village. Kotaro had Appa growl loudly in the following silence, where Sokka played soft, yet creepy tunes on his flute, while Toph lifted the boulder up, and slammed it down, making it sound like giant footsteps.

"What is that sound?" The first soldier asked fearfully.

"Maybe it _is_ her." The other said. When the mist cleared slightly, the army's eyes widened as they saw Katara in her Painted Lady disguise. Using water bending, she traveled across the water with a powerful wave and landed on the docks in front of them. The general pushed some of his soldiers forward towards her.

"Do… something!" He commanded. Two soldiers, both of them terrified, approached Katara with swords raised. Katara lifted up her hat, showing them her eyes, which was also a signal for Aang to use his air bending to make the swords fly from their hands, as well as their headgear. They ran away from her in fear, and the other soldiers began to shake.

"Stand your ground!" The general shouted. Katara took a few steps forward, then stopped. Suddenly, using her water bending, she lifted two Fire Nation water skimmers up high and threw them into the cliff side of the nearby shore. When she looked back at the faces of the scared soldiers, she lifted her hand threateningly towards them, and they took off running, except for the general, who stayed put as the other soldiers got on the remaining two water skimmers and fled. The general glared at Katara and took a fighting stance, "I'll take care of you myself!"

The two had a stand-off for a moment, then the general created a wave of fire with his bending. Aang, thinking quickly, used air bending to make Katara jump up high so she would avoid the flames, and used a second blast of air to send the general into the murky river water.

The general came up from the water, gasping for air. Katara went over to him and towered over him threateningly as she used her bending to stand on the water.

"Leave this village and _never_ come back." She commanded. The general swam away from her, fearing for his life, and another soldier went to him, grabbing him and helping him onto the water skimmer that they used to get away from Katara and further down river. The villagers cheered, hooted, and hollered happily at her victory as she came back, landing on the docks in front of the villagers as Aang crawled out from underneath the dock and Sokka, Toph, and Kotaro came to the village in a small boat. They carefully moved in so they would be a part of the crowd and no one would notice them.

"I knew you'd come." A child said happily when he saw Katara.

"Thank you!" Doc/Xu said, wearing his Doc hat.

"Painted Lady, you're the best!" A man cheered in the crowd. Doc/Xu walked up to Katara with a smile on his aged face.

"Me and my brothers really owe you a lot!" He said happily, suddenly, his smile disappeared as recognition flashed across his face, "Hey! Wait a minute! You're not the Painted Lady! You're that colonial girl!" Katara, wondering what had happened, reached up and touched her face and came back with red paint on her fingers. She mentally scolded herself for not being more careful in the mist and water, because the paint on her face was still wet, and easy to wash away. "You've been _tricking_ us! You're a water bender!"

"She's a water bender?" One of the villagers exclaimed in shock.

"How dare you act like our Painted Lady!" Another shouted angrily. The villagers all began shouting things at her, quickly becoming an angry mob. Sokka, seeing where this was going, ran out in front of Katara, holding his arms out protectively.

"Maybe she is a water bender, but she was just trying to help you!" He shouted at the villagers, getting them to stop, "Because of her, that factory won't be polluting your river, and the army is _gone_! You should be down on your knees, _thanking_ her!" Katara reached out and put her hand on her brother's shoulder.

"Sokka, it's okay." She said, she took off her hat and looked at the villagers, "I shouldn't have acted like someone I wasn't, and I shouldn't have tricked you. But, I felt like I had to do _something_. It doesn't matter if the Painted Lady is real or not, because your _problems_ are _real_, and this _river_ is _real_. You can't wait around for someone to help you. You have to help yourself." The villagers seemed to sober up at her words, letting them sink into their minds.

After a beat of silence, Doc/Xu said, "She's right. But… What should we do?"

Kotaro, hiding his mouth behind his hand and putting on a phony voice, said, "Maybe we could clean the river!" Sokka gave him an odd look as he put his hand down

"Yeah! We can clean the river!" Doc/Xu said happily. The villagers cheered in agreement and dispersed, going to get the proper equipment to clean out their river. Doc/Xu walked forward to Katara, "Thank you. You know, you're not so bad for a water bender."

"You wouldn't mind keeping that a secret, by the way, would you?" Sokka asked.

"No problem!" Doc/Xu replied, "Keeping my mouth shut is a personal specialty! My brother Xu, on the other hand, _ho!_ He's a blabbermouth." Sokka groaned, smacking his forehead with his hand.

"So, Doc, are you going to help us clean up this river?" Kotaro asked.

"No, sir," Doc/Xu said, "I'm going to get my other brother, Bushi. He _loves_ cleaning rivers!" Doc/Xu reached up and pulled off his Doc hat, revealing a straw one that had somehow been tucked underneath, "Alright! I'm Bushi! Let's get some river-cleaning done!"

"Does this guy have a brother for _everything_?" Kotaro asked in a whisper to Sokka, who shrugged in response.

"Ah-ha!" Aang said, pointing at Doc/Xu/Bushi, "I _knew_ it! I knew you were the same guy! You're the shop-owner, _and_ the boat guy." Aang grinned, planting his hands on his hips in a victorious stance.

"Oh, you must be talking about my brothers Doc and Xu." Doc/Xu/Bushi said.

"No, I just _saw_ you!" Aang said, "You switched hats and called yourself a different name!"

"_Ohhh!_" Doc/Xu/Bushi said, "You know who does that? My brother, Doc!" He leaned closer to Aang and said, in a rather loud whisper, "He's crazy." Then he laughed boisterously as he walked away. Aang gaped at his back.

"But-! I just-! A-And he-!" Kotaro sighed, coming up behind Aang and putting his hand on his shoulder.

"Just let it go." He said, Aang looked at him for a moment, and then sighed, hanging his head in defeat.

* * *

The time it took to clean the river was actually a much shorter amount than they had first anticipated. With everyone in the village participating in the best ways they could, the river was cleaned in a few hours, and by sundown, the river had been completely cleared of any remaining pollutants and was the original, beautiful, clear blue water that it once was.

Because they had finished so late, the gang decided to stay for one last night before heading out the next morning.

As Katara went to the river's shore to get some water into a canteen for her bending later on that night, a mist suddenly enveloped her. She looked up and saw a woman dressed in a long, white, flowing gown, with a large straw hat on her head covered with a veil. Her face was covered in red paint, in the same design Katara had seen on the Painted Lady statues.

"Thank you." She said, her voice soft and melodic. Then she drifted away with the mist into the darkness, away from Katara with a grateful smile. Katara smiled to herself, proud of her accomplishments.

* * *

Kagemi woke up with a yawn, stretching her limbs before she swung her feet over the side of her bed, placing her feet on the floor. She slouched as she trudged out of bed and headed towards the bathroom to prepare for the day. As she passed by a mirror, something caught her eye, and she ran back to it. She gasped when she saw the crack-like veins around her eyes had returned overnight, and grown in length, but that wasn't even the worst part about it. The ends of the cracks were tipped with white, the very color Hoshiko's shadowy form took.

She screamed in anger, bringing up a fist and punching her reflection in the mirror, then using her shadow bending to quickly erase the cracks from her face. She panted harshly as she glared at the broken mirror before punching it again.

It didn't matter how hard she fought, or how hard she tried. Kagemi would never, _ever_ relinquish control of this body. Hoshiko would never break through her defenses and release herself from her prison.

She would make sure of it.

* * *

**REVIEW PLEASE!**

**I feel sad without reviews.**

**So sad, that I might not be able to finish the next chapter.**

**TT-TT**

**please?**


	28. Sokka's Master

28

Kotaro, Katara, Aang, Toph, and Sokka all lay down, watching in awe as stars began to fall from the heavens in a meteor shower.

"Wow…" Katara breathed, "This is amazing to watch."

Kotaro nodded in agreement, but even though watching them was a beautiful and incredible sight, he couldn't help but wish that Hoshiko was right beside him. When they were younger, and the sky was clear enough, Hoshiko and Kotaro would sneak out of their homes and meet each other in the valley near the edge of the village, where no one would venture that late at night. They would simply lie down and gaze at the stars, their fingers linking together so that, in the darkness, they would always know where the other was. They would point to the sky and make up their own constellations for fun. Kotaro had made up three different ones he could remember. There was the badger mole riding the platypus bear, the panthermadillo that gave birth to a moose lion cub, and the rabaroo with five ears. Hoshiko's constellations were a bit more rational and realistic than his. There was the moon blossom flower, the cat with the mouse on its head, and, his personal favorite, the wolf howling at the moon. He shifted slightly as these memories came to him, and a flood of emotion and depression came with it.

"Kinda makes you realize how insignificant we are." Sokka said.

"Meh," Toph shrugged, "You've seen nothing once, you've seen it a thousand times." Everyone's eyes widened as one of the falling meteors went slightly off-course, and was now heading for the earth. Everyone sat up as it came closer.

"You've _never_ not seen anything like this!" Kotaro said as it fell closer and closer. It whizzed above their camp and went further away, crashing into the earth a mile away. Toph, feeling the impact, jumped up and looked in the direction it had come from. Everyone shared unsure glances and they got on Appa, looking to see where it had hit.

When they came towards it, they saw it was engulfed in a fire that was quickly spreading, and there was a town only a little ways away.

"That fire is gonna destroy the town!" Katara said when she saw it.

"Not if we can stop it." Aang said, moving Appa so he would land and they all, except Katara, who jumped down to Appa's head and took the reins.

"There's a creek over here, I'll bend the water onto the fire." She whipped Appa's reins and he took off towards the creek.

"Toph, let's make a trench to keep the fire from getting any closer." Aang said, he turned to Kotaro, "Kotaro, is there any way you can absorb the flames and shoot them away with lightning?"

Kotaro nodded, "I can try." The three of them dashed off, ready to put out the fire. Sokka grasped his club awkwardly.

"What should I do?" He asked them.

Aang turned back to him, thinking for a moment, then watched as Momo flew past him, "Keep an eye on Momo!" Then he dashed off.

"What, I'm just a lemur-sitter?" Sokka asked incredulously as Momo flew onto his head. He reached up and patted his head, "There, there. Feel better?"

Toph and Aang ran towards the flames, creating a huge trench around the fire. Kotaro jumped into the trench, took a deep breath, and then held up two fingers towards the fire. He took a deep breath, and the flames began curling towards his outstretched fingers. Kotaro closed his eyes as he felt the heat from the flames going through his body, and he began moving his chi as he had been taught to do. He felt the power building up in his other hand, and after a moment, a bolt of lightning shot out into the sky, harming nothing. Just as he was preparing to do it again, he stopped when he saw Katara and Appa flying by, Katara bending a huge blob of water and sprinkling the water over the fire like rain. Toph bent a slab of earth to slam down on top of the flames and they weakened in size. As Appa passed by Aang, Katara sent him the remainder of the water and he began to bend it.

"Sokka! Stand clear!" He warned. Sokka picked Momo up by the scruff of his neck and walked away.

"Right… Stand clear." He muttered. Aang bent the water up into the air as Toph and Kotaro ran for cover, and he used air bending to cool the water to a point where it would freeze, and turned it into snow. The fire was now completely out. He smiled at Katara, Toph, and Kotaro.

"Good work, everybody." He said, Kotaro looked around curiously and saw Sokka poke his head out from a snow pile, looking very miserable.

* * *

The next morning, everyone went into town for breakfast. The town, as it turns out, was good to a lot of Shinjuns, since almost two thirds of the ones there were free. So it wasn't too hard to find a restaurant everyone could agree on. It was a simple place with a small kitchen and a small area for all the customers to sit down and eat. Aang came back to the table where Kotaro, Toph, and Katara were already sitting with his own tray of vegetarian food.

"These people have no idea how close they were to getting toasted last night." Aang said as he sat down.

"Yeah, the worst thing about being in disguise is that we don't get the hero worship anymore!" Toph sighed, resting her head in her hand, "I miss the love."

"Boo hoo. Poor heroes." Sokka said sarcastically. Everyone looked over to see he was sitting on a ledge that overlooked the small town, his still steaming food in one piece.

"What's your problem?" Katara asked, seeing her brother's bad mood, "You haven't even touched your smoked sea slug."

"It's just… You guys can do all this awesome bending stuff like putting out forest fires, and flying around, and making other stuff fly around." Sokka lowered his head unhappily, "I can't fly around, okay? I can't do _anything_."

"That's not true." Kotaro said in an attempt to cheer him up, "Out of all of us, you're one of the best map readers I've seen."

"I can't read at all!" Toph said, following Kotaro's attempt.

"Yeah, and who keeps us laughing with sarcastic comments all the time?" Aang asked, he reached over and grabbed a small piece of Katara's hair, "I mean, look at Katara's hair, right? What's up with that?" Katara blushed embarrassedly and took her hair back, trying to hide it.

"What? What's wrong with my hair?" She asked worriedly, looking around.

Aang, seeing what he had done, said, "Nothing! I was just trying to-"

"Look," Sokka said, catching their attention, "I appreciate the effort, but the fact is each of you is so amazing and so special, and I'm… not. I'm just the guy in the group who's… regular." Katara got up from her seat and went over to sit beside him.

"I'm sorry you're feeling so down," She began, "But I hope you know none of us see you that way." Sokka didn't meet her eyes, his face was still downcast. Katara thought for a moment, then smiled and put her hand on his shoulder, "I know something that's going to make you feel better?"

"You do?" Sokka asked sadly.

* * *

"Shopping!" Sokka said happily, clapping his hands in excitement as he walked into the weapons emporium. He walked through the shop's hallways that were filled with an assortment of different blades and weapons, "Maybe a little something to re-invigorate my battling." He smiled as his eyes caught something and he picked up a pair of nun-chucks, "Hey! What about these?" He let out small battle cries as he spun the nun-chucks around, doing tricks with them, but only ended up hitting himself in the head. Kotaro couldn't help his laughter when he fell over and knocked a few weapons on top of him in the process. He walked over to another part of the store, looking over a couple of belts that were made for carrying small weapons, which he could use to carry a few of his things in while they traveled. Katara was trying on a pair of gloves next to him, and asked his opinion on them. Kotaro shrugged and was about to answer, when he stopped, seeing something behind Katara and looking at it oddly.

"What do you think?" Aang asked, Katara turned around and saw Aang, who was completely decked out in very high quality armor, with a huge helmet in the shape of a dragon's head, and armor that made him look like he was more vicious than he actually was, "Pretty slick huh?" Katara and Kotaro grimaced, "All I need to complete the outfit is a wind sword."

"What's a wind sword?" Katara asked, holding up her hand to block the reflected light that came off the helmet.

"It's where I get a sword handle, and swing this around and bend out air through it like a blade." Aang said, moving his only free arm, which wasn't covered in armor, in a swinging motion with a sword handle, and making whooshing sounds.

"Yeah… nice." Katara said unsurely. Her eyes widened when Aang began to lose his balance and Kotaro quickly ran behind Aang, catching him before he fell, some of the armor coming off in the process.

"You might just want to stick to what you know." Kotaro said, helping his friend stand back up and starting to help him out of the armor.

"Yeah… thanks Kotaro." Aang said, moving his no longer armored hand to help get the armor off. Kotaro grabbed the empty sword handle and looked at it.

"Although, that whole bending-sword-thing is actually a pretty cool idea." He said, looking over it, "You think I might be able to do the same with lightning?" He looked up at Aang and Katara, who shrugged unsurely.

Everyone continued to peruse the store, but Sokka had the most fun doing it. He tried out a nagi-nata, a large bludgeoner weapon, a pair of twin swords, a long spear, and many others. Kotaro watched him try out each one with amusement, because he didn't know how to use any of the weapons properly. This point was proved even further when he took a small knife and used it to pick his teeth. Something caught Sokka's attention and he looked to see an incredibly well-designed sword mounted on a wall.

"Ooooh!" He walked over to it, looking at the expert craftsmanship, "_That's_ what Sokka's talking about!"

"You have a good eye." The shop owner said, coming up to him, "That's an original from Pian-Dao. One of the greatest sword masters and sword makers in Fire Nation history. He lives in the big castle up the road from here."

"That explains how you got one from him." Kotaro said, looking at the sword, "His swords are unbelievably rare." The shop owner nodded.

"Yeah, I get a good deal because my shop isn't too far away from him." He said, when a pair of customers came in, he went over to greet them and welcome them into his shop.

"That's it!" Aang said suddenly, "That's what you needed all along, Sokka!"

"A sword?" Sokka asked in confusion.

"Not the sword," Aang said, "A master." Sokka reached up and took the sword off from where it was displayed, "We've all had masters to help us get better. You should see if you can study with Pian-Dao."

"That's a great idea!" Katara said, "I could have never gotten to where I am without master Pakku."

"Yeah, same here." Kotaro said, "I learned the basics of lightning bending from my brother. Everyone needs a teacher."

"I learned from badger moles." Toph said, "They don't talk, but they're still good teachers." Sokka pulled the sword out of the sheath, looking over it.

"It would be nice to be a master sword-fighter." He said, looking over the sword's excellent craft, "Alright, I'll talk to him."

* * *

So, once they returned to camp, Sokka headed off to Pian-Dao's castle that was a little ways from the town. While he was gone, the heat of the day seemed to only increase, causing everyone to not want to do anything.

"So, what should we do today?" Aang asked as the four of them lay on their backs, looking up at the sky.

"I'm tapped out." Toph said, "I already picked my toes. _Twice_!"

"Twice? Why twice?" Kotaro asked, turning his head towards the blind girl in confusion.

"The first time was for cleaning," Toph said, "But the second time's just for the _sweet_ picking sensation." She wiggled her toes happily when she said this.

"Sokka's been in charge of the schedule," Katara said, trying to get the image of Toph picking her feet out of her head, "I'm not sure what we should be doing."

"Plus, it's _so_ hot today." Toph said, picking her nose lazily.

"…How hot is it?" Aang asked, hoping to get a joke.

"I don't know. Real hot?" Toph replied.

"It's so hot…! It's _so_ hot…!" Katara tried to come up with a good joke. She sat up and ran her hand across Momo's fur, "Momo is- is shedding like Appa! Huh? Huh?" She looked for Aang's approval as he scratched his head.

"I guess the jokes don't run in the family." Aang said. Katara frowned.

"Oh, everyone's a critic." She said, lying back down. Kotaro got up.

"Well, as much fun as it is hanging out with you guys," Kotaro said, "I think I'm going to do some training."

"Ooh!" Toph immediately jumped up, "I'll come with you!" Kotaro looked at her unsurely.

"Actually, Toph… It's probably better that you don't." He said, Toph frowned.

"Why?" She asked.

"Lightning is pretty dangerous, I wouldn't want you to get hurt." Kotaro said. Toph's frown deepened.

"What, you think I won't be able to handle it because I'm blind?" She asked angrily. Kotaro took a step back, holding up his hands defensively. He knew this was dangerous territory he was treading into.

"No! That's not it at all!" Kotaro said quickly, "To be honest," He lowered his hands and looked over at Katara and Aang, "I don't think any of you should come with me."

"How come?" Aang asked.

"Lightning is powerful stuff," Kotaro began, "And once I fire it off, I don't have much control as to where it goes. It could turn around and hurt one of you, or branch off and shock you to death. Only the strongest masters can manipulate the bolt to go _exactly_ wherever they tell it to. I just think it's safest if you guys stay here."

Toph crossed her arms across her chest and pouted unhappily, "Fine." Kotaro smirked at her childish behavior.

"Maybe when I'm able to get more control, okay?" He said, he walked away from the group and headed to a small, flat area a little ways away. He set up some targets made from old bits of dead trees nearby. He shed his shirt, revealing his heavily scarred body underneath, and turned in the direction of his targets. He took a deep breath in and out and lifted up two of his fingers, pointing them to the sky. He felt his power building up inside him as he slowly moved it down, his fist next to it. He shot out his fingers, and a bolt of lightning came shooting out, missing his target by a paper's width. He sighed in aggravation and tried it again, the same thing happening, but on the opposite side.

As he practiced, he couldn't help but be reminded of a time when he was younger, and practicing back in his village.

* * *

_A young, thirteen year old Kotaro shot off a small lightning bolt at a wooden stump. It veered off its course and struck the ground. He heard clapping and looked over at Hoshiko, who was applauding his efforts. Kotaro stood up straight and tried to make himself look nice as she came over to him._

_"Hi, Kota." Hoshiko greeted._

_"Hey." Kotaro said, clearing his throat when his voice cracked. He made his voice sound deeper than it actually was, "What's up?"_

_"Not much." Hoshiko said, she moved so she sat on a nearby fence, and he moved to sit comfortably next to her, "I really liked your lightning." Kotaro scoffed, looking away._

_"It missed the target." He said unhappily._

_"But still! The fact that you actually got one out that could go that far is really good!" Hoshiko encouraged, not wanting him to feel bad, "You're getting a lot better!" Kotaro looked away._

_"No, I'm not." He said, he turned back to her, "If I ever want to be as good as my dad, or my brother Kai, then I need to actually hit the target!" He jumped off the fence and glared at his target, shooting off another bolt at it, only to have it veer off once again and go straight up. He growled in frustration and stomped his foot angrily, "Rah! Come on!" Hoshiko frowned sadly and walked up next to him, putting her hand on his shoulder._

_"Kotaro, is something wrong?" She asked him, "I mean, you're usually not so adamant about getting your lightning right." Kotaro looked at her, then down at the ground._

_"It's nothing." He said, "Don't worry about it." Hoshiko frowned and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, resting her head on one of them._

_"Kotaro, we're hanbun tamashis, I know when you're upset." She said, "You can't lie to me." She lifted her head, "Tell me what's wrong." Kotaro sighed and turned to her._

_"It's just… my dad and my brothers were all so amazing and so powerful." He said, "Ever since I was a baby, I've looked up to them. I want to be just as strong as they were, and I want to make my dad proud."_

_"What makes you think you haven't made him proud now?" Hoshiko asked, her hands resting gently on his shoulders._

_"What makes you think I _have_?" Kotaro asked angrily, moving away from her and starting to pace angrily, "I mean, I'm too young to join the army, I'm not strong enough to protect anyone, and even if I tried, I'd just make everything worse!"_

_"That's not true!" Hoshiko insisted, "You're a lot stronger than you think, and you don't need to join the army to prove anything." Kotaro stopped his pacing and looked at her._

_"Oh, really?" He asked, "Then how is it that I can't protect anyone? I wasn't strong enough to help my dad when he fought, and I'm not even strong enough to help my mom except with chores!"_

_"…You protected _me_…" Hoshiko said quietly, Kotaro looked at her in surprise, "When we were six, and we got lost in those woods… I kept on crying, but you looked after me." She held out her hand, "The entire time we were in that wood, you never let go of my hand, and you looked after me." Kotaro reached out and took her hand. "I never wanted you to let go of me when we were there."_

_"Yeah…" Kotaro stepped closer and looked Hoshiko in the eye, "And I don't want to let go of it now, either." Hoshiko blushed and looked away. Kotaro put his hand under her chin and made her face him, "I never want to let you go." He leaned in and pressed his lips gently to hers in what was their very first kiss._

* * *

Kotaro walked back to the camp, shirt in hand, to find Katara and Aang going over their map of the Fire Nation.

"So, where are we going next?" Katara asked, she looked over it, "We're starting from here…" She pointed to a spot on the map.

"No, we're over on this island." Aang said, pointing to another part of the map. Toph sighed and linked her fingers together behind her head.

"You noodle-brains don't know what you're doing." She said, "I miss Sokka."

"Ooh!" Katara said quickly, "I got one!" She turned to Toph with a sly smirk, "If you miss him so much, why don't you _marry him_?" Toph turned over on her side, there was no reaction other than that. Katara scowled.

Aang looked up when he noticed Kotaro's presence, "Hey Kotaro."

"Hey." Kotaro responded, walking by him. He didn't notice how Aang and Katara's eyes were drawn to the scars along his back and chest from his time as a slave, but Katara's were mostly drawn to his incredible physique. When he tucked his shirt away with his things, feeling that the heat was too much for him to wear it, he noticed them staring at him and he stood back up, facing them. "What?"

"Nothing." Katara said quickly, blushing at the fact that she was caught, while Aang didn't look away.

"You were a slave, too?" He asked him. Kotaro nodded.

"I thought you knew that, Aang." He said, coming over and sitting next to Toph.

"I did, but I didn't think you were like Hoshiko." He said sadly, Kotaro's brows furrowed and he frowned.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, Hoshiko has all these scars on her back," Aang said, "And a brand. I didn't think being enslaved was filled with that much pain."

"Actually, I lived a pretty good life when I was enslaved." Kotaro said, "It was only on the first day that I got the majority of these. It's to help 'break you in' before you're sold." He said, gesturing to all the scars on his body, "It wasn't my owner who was strict with me. He himself wasn't so bad."

"Oh." Aang said, "Who was it?"

Kotaro grinned, "Actually, it was Pian-Dao."

"Seriously?" Toph asked, "And you didn't go with Sokka to go see him?"

"Well, Pian-Dao and I didn't know each other very well." Kotaro said, "I don't really see much point in going to visit him. After all, why would he remember a slave?" He scratched Momo behind his ear when he came up to him.

* * *

Kotaro slept beside Appa, away from Aang, Katara, and Toph that night. He didn't dream, he only slept. So, when he was awoken from Toph crying, "Sokka's coming!" He didn't mind it. He stood up with everyone else, who all smiled widely when they saw Sokka coming up over the hill towards them in a formal training gi.

"Hey guys," He greeted casually, "What're you doing?" Toph, Katara, and Aang all ran towards him, pulling him into a big group hug.

"Sokka!" Aang cried happily.

"You're back!" Toph said.

"We missed you _so_ much!" Katara said as she and the others pulled away.

"Say something funny!" Aang said, ready to hear one of Sokka's jokes.

"Funny how?" Sokka asked, Katara and Aang started laughing. Kotaro smiled and shook his head at their sudden clinginess to Sokka. Sokka turned to Toph and asked, "What's their deal?"

"I _don't_ know." Toph said, turning away, "They missed you or something. I didn't care." Kotaro saw the blush on her cheeks as he went over to Sokka.

"Thanks, that warms my heart." Sokka said sarcastically before Kotaro clapped him on the shoulder.

"They _really _missed you." He said.

"Okay…" Sokka said slowly, not really understanding him, "Anyway, I need some help."

"With what?" Kotaro asked.

"Follow me." Sokka said, they did as he asked and followed him to the crash site from the meteorite, where it still rested in the middle of the huge hole it had made in the earth. "I need to get this to Pian-Dao's castle." He turned to Toph, "Can you get it out with earth bending?"

"Easily." Toph replied confidently, stomping her heel into the ground, making the meteorite shoot up into the air and landing a few feet away from where they were standing. Sokka went over to it and, after a quick detour to camp so Aang and Kotaro could get their shirts back on, Sokka, Aang, Katara, and Kotaro pushed the rock up, while Toph used earth bending to help push it along. They got it up to the gate, where Sokka went up to the door's knockers, which were in the shape of two dragon heads, grabbed both of them, and started banging them against the door. The gate was opened by Pian-Dao, who didn't seem very surprised at the way he had knocked on the door. He looked among his friends.

"Who's this?" He asked, his eyes lingering on Kotaro a bit longer than everyone else.

"Oh, these are my friends." Sokka said, "Just other good Fire Nation folks." Everyone bowed respectfully to him, and he bowed in return. "Do you think we could make a sword out of a meteorite?" Pian-Dao walked over to the huge rock, putting his hand on it and feeling the material.

"We'll make a sword unlike any other in the world." He promised. They brought in the meteorite, making sure Toph didn't earth bend it in, and brought it to the workshop Pian-Dao had in his castle. As they walked through its hallways, Kotaro recognized every part of the castle he had been in. Although he had only been a simple servant, he soon came to know every part of Pian-Dao's castle when he was living there. When he had gotten enough money to buy his freedom, as he and Pian-Dao had agreed on, he gave him some extra money and sent him out into the world to be on his own. Kotaro was very grateful for the man, being so kind to him when he was there.

"Something interesting?" Pian-Dao asked him as they walked, noticing as he walked through the castle. Kotaro looked back at him, shaking his head.

"No, sir," He said, "Just admiring your home." Pian-Dao gave a small smile to him, then turned his attention back to the workshop once they arrived. Kotaro recognized the only other servant the castle had, a man named Fat. Kotaro always found his name to be very humorous, because he actually _was_ a little fat. Pian-Dao asked everyone to leave them so Sokka could have some peace when he was making his sword. They did as he asked, and Kotaro went into the castle's rock garden, still finding it as peaceful as it was when he last saw it. Toph followed him, not having anything better to do while they waited.

"So, you were a slave at this place?" She asked, Kotaro nodded, "…Is it weird being back?"

"A little bit." Kotaro said, "But not in a bad way." He looked over at her, his eyes meeting her milky ones, "I have some pretty good memories here, but they're not all good."

"Do you think Pian-Dao recognized you?" Toph asked, Kotaro shook his head.

"No, if he did, he wouldn't have asked me what I thought of his home." He said. He walked through the rock garden, old memories from his time spent here coming back to him.

* * *

_"Kotaro!" Pian-Dao called, Kotaro jumped up from where he had accidentally fallen asleep in the rock garden and instantly jumped up, looking into the face of his master._

_"I-I'm sorry!" He said, bowing quickly, "It was an accident, master! I'll get back to work!" Kotaro had been working at Pian-Dao's castle a little over a month, and he was terrified that the man would punish him if he did anything wrong. This feeling was only intensified by the fact that he was one of the best swordsmen in the Fire Nation. Kotaro was about to run off, but Pian-Dao caught his shoulder. Kotaro looked up at the man curiously._

_"Did I say anything about your work?" He asked, "Fat has already done most of the day's chores." Kotaro blinked with a blank expression as Pian-Dao removed his hand from his shoulder._

_"Oh…" He said, he looked up at him, "But… then, why did you call me?"_

_He smiled warmly at him, "Well, you worked very hard yesterday, and I thought you deserved a break. I'm not angry with you for falling asleep."_

_"You're not?" Kotaro asked in surprise. Pian-Dao shook his head._

_"No, I'm not." He said, "Actually, I wanted you to join me for a game."_

_"A… A game?" Kotaro repeated in confusion. _

_"Yes, it's a personal favorite of mine." Pian-Dao said, putting his hand on Kotaro's shoulder in a fatherly way as he led him away from the gardens to the castle, "Do you know how to play pai-sho?"_

_"My father played that game a lot when I was young." Kotaro said, "I think I remember most of the rules…"_

_"Well, perhaps a refresher, just to be safe." Pian-Dao said with a smile._

…

_Kotaro grunted as he lifted the heavy box of materials onto the cart that was heading into town to sell Pian-Dao's various weapons. He let out a breath of relief once it was set up. He reached over to the side of the cart and pulled the rope around the boxes, making sure they'd be secure while the cart went down the road._

_"Thank yeh kindly, son." The man who owned the cart said to Kotaro, tipping his hat to him._

_"You're welcome." Kotaro said, reaching behind him and pressing his fists into his spine, popping it in a few places. When he stood up straight, he looked in surprise at the copper piece of money the man was giving him._

_"Fer yer troubles." The man said, taking Kotaro's hand and placing the copper piece in his palm. Kotaro looked at the money in surprise, looking over the copper piece, and biting down on it to make sure it wasn't fake. He smiled when he saw that it was a legitimate piece of money._

_"Thank you, sir!" Kotaro said, bowing towards the man before running back through the gates of the castle, closing them behind him. He ran past Fat, who was his usual bored self as he went to finish up the chores he had been given for the day. Kotaro ran into his quarters, which was a relatively small room with only a bed and a table, but a comfortable room. He ran in, reached under his bed, and pulled out a small bag. He dumped the contents of the bag onto the table, showing that it was all copper, and a few silver pieces of Fire Nation currency. He quickly counted up all his earnings over the past year from those he had helped in his enslavement. He smiled when he realized he had just enough. The same amount that Pian-Dao had paid for him when he was sold as a slave. He quickly put all the money back in the bag and jumped up, ready to show it to Pian-Dao, but stopped just as his hand reached the door to go out. He looked down at the money, then back at the door, then back at the money, and then walked out of the room._

_He went down the hallways to Pian-Dao's study, where he was practicing his calligraphy. He hesitated in knocking at the open door, but did so, getting his attention._

_"Yes?" Pian-Dao asked, not looking to see who it was. He already had a good idea of who it might be._

_Kotaro opened his mouth, shut it, then opened it again, "…I have enough." Pian-Dao stopped in his writing._

_"Enough what?" He asked carefully._

_"Enough money." Kotaro said, he hefted the bag, "You told me if I got the same amount of money that you paid for me, you would grant me my freedom." Pian-Dao put his brush down and turned around to Kotaro, who held up his bag of money, "This is it." Pian-Dao stood up and walked over to Kotaro, taking the bag from him._

_"I see." He said, he looked at Kotaro, "You've… You've worked very hard in your time here, Kotaro. I appreciate it. You are free to leave whenever you please."_

_"I will, mas- sir," Kotaro said, quickly correcting himself, for he no longer needed to call Pian-Dao master. He smiled at him, "After you join me in a game of pai-sho… as a free man." Pian-Dao smiled at him._

_"It would be my pleasure." He replied._

* * *

The two of them heard someone clearing their throat and looked back to see Pian-Dao looking at them.

"So… You're Sokka's friends, are you?" He asked.

"Um… Yes, sir." Kotaro said, turning to him, Toph doing the same. Pian-Dao nodded, walking towards them.

"Are you planning to stay while he's making his sword?" He asked.

"Yeah… It's not like we have anything better to do." Toph said with a shrug.

"Then, would either of you like to join me for a game of pai-sho?" Pian-Dao asked, his eyes instantly going to Kotaro, "As I recall, you still owe me a rematch." Kotaro's eyes widened.

"You remember me?" He asked in surprise.

Pian-Dao nodded, "Yes, I do. Now, will you join me, or won't you?" Kotaro smiled at him.

"It would be my pleasure." He replied.

* * *

After a night of hard work, Sokka's sword was finished, and everyone went to see the finished product in Pian-Dao's study.

"Sokka, when you first arrived, you were so unsure." Pian-Dao began, "You even seemed down on yourself. But I saw something in you right away." Sokka couldn't meet his master's eyes as he spoke, "I saw a heart as strong as a lion turtle, and twice as big, and as we trained, it wasn't your skills that impressed me." He turned around to take the sword from Fat, who had been holding onto it, "No, it certainly wasn't your skills." Sokka frowned. "You showed something beyond that." Pian-Dao took out Sokka's sword, revealing it to be a black blade. "Creativity, versatility, intelligence; these are the traits that define a great swordsman." Pian-Dao put the sword back in its sheath and presented it to Sokka, "And these are the traits that define you." Sokka took the sword from him, still not meeting his eyes, "You told me you didn't know if you were worthy. But _I_ believe you are more worthy than any man I have ever trained!"

"…I'm sorry, Master." Sokka said, "You're wrong. I am not worthy." Pian-Dao quirked an eyebrow curiously, "I'm not who you think I am. I'm not from the Fire Nation, I'm from the Southern Water Tribe." Everyone felt like smacking their foreheads at Sokka's words, "I lied so that I could learn swordsmanship from you." He presented the sword to him, "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too." Pian-Dao said, taking out his own sword and swiping it at Sokka, who narrowly avoided it. He quickly got on his feet and blocked Pian-Dao's next strike with his sword. Everyone quickly jumped up to help him, but he stopped them by holding up his hand.

"No, this is my fight." He said, "Alone." Pian-Dao narrowed his eyes at him.

"Well, if you wish to fight alone." Pian-Dao said, "Then let's take this outside." Sokka nodded in agreement and followed him to the small courtyard outside where Sokka had done most of his sword training by practicing with Fat. Everyone else remained at the balcony that overlooked the courtyard to see the fight.

"Do you think Sokka has a chance of winning?" Toph asked Kotaro quietly.

"Considering that Pian-Dao's the master, and Sokka just started his training _yesterday_," Kotaro began, "The outcome doesn't look too good." Sokka and Pian-Dao glared at each other for a second longer, then started the battle. Their moves were fast and quick. Sokka mostly took random jabs at Pian-Dao, while his moves seemed more calculating towards Sokka. When one of his blows pushed him back to a small bridge, Sokka quickly jumped up, avoiding Pian-Dao's strikes as he jumped from one side of the bridge to another, easily avoiding the man's blows.

"Excellent!" Pian-Dao praised, "Using your superior agility against another opponent. Smart." Sokka wasn't sure why he was praising him, but didn't linger on the thought as Pian-Dao came at him again, and this time they went up some stone steps that lead to a small area that surrounded the castle walls. Sokka quickly jumped up and fought Pian-Dao from the top of the wall. "Good use of terrain! Fighting from the high ground!" Pian-Dao kept swiping at him until Sokka had trapped his sword under his own. Pian-Dao pulled the sword up and pushed Sokka back into a small forest of bamboo. He ran into it and Kotaro, Aang, Katara, and Toph lost sight of him.

"Toph, can you feel what's going on?" Kotaro asked.

"It feels like… he's just cutting down the bamboo stalks." Toph said, and she was right, as she spoke, they saw how some of the stalks began to fall, where they assumed Pian-Dao was.

"Yes! Use your surroundings!" Pian-Dao praised, "Make them fight for _you_!" Sokka ran out of the bamboo with a yell, and ran into the courtyard. Pian-Dao ran up and held out his sword and before Sokka could collide with it, he bent down like one would in a limbo game, and in attempt to regain his balance, put the point of his sword on the ground and, coming up with a quick idea, made a swipe, causing dirt to fly in Pian-Dao's eyes, blinding him. "Very resourceful." He turned his head to listen for any indication of where Sokka might be, and he carefully tried to tiptoe away. He stepped on a twig, making it crack, and Pian-Dao went at him. Sokka blocked his sword, but Pian-Dao easily maneuvered their blades and made Sokka's go flying from his hands. He looked back at Pian-Dao, and fell to the ground to avoid his strike. He looked up fearfully when Pian-Dao's blade pointed at his face.

Not wanting their friend to get hurt, Kotaro, Aang, Toph, and Katara jumped down, ready to fight him. To their surprise, instead of continuing to fight, he moved his sword away from Sokka.

"Excellent work, Sokka." He said, Sokka quirked an eyebrow at his words, not sure of what was happening. Pian-Dao motioned to Fat, and he threw the sheath to his sword towards him, and Pian-Dao moved so it would cover his blade. He turned to where Aang and the others were, "I think I'm a little old to be fighting the avatar." Everyone looked at him in surprise, and they relaxed out of their fighting stances.

"How did you know?" Aang asked.

"Oh, I've been around a while." Pian-Dao said, "You pick things up." Fat came over and gave him a small towel so he could get the dirt out of his eyes, "Of course, I knew from the beginning that Sokka was Water Tribe." Sokka looked away guiltily, "You might want to think of a better Fire Nation cover name. Try Lee, there's a million Lees."

"But why would you agree to train someone from the Water Tribe?" Katara asked.

"The way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation," Pian-Dao said, "Knowledge of the arts belongs to us all." He walked over to where Sokka's sword was and picked it up, holding it out to him, "Sokka, you must continue your training on your own." Sokka took the sword from him, "If you stay on this path, I know that, one day, you'll become an even greater master than I am." Sokka smiled at Pian-Dao, and the two men bowed respectfully to each other.

* * *

As they walked through the front gate of Pian-Dao's castle, Fat came running up to them.

"Wait!" He called, getting their attention, "The master wanted you to have this, as something to remember him by." He held out a small bag and Sokka took it. They bid each other goodbye, and everyone surrounded Sokka, looking curiously at the gift Pian-Dao had given. He reached in and pulled out a small tile.

"It's a pai-sho tile." Sokka said when he saw it.

"The white lotus." Kotaro said, recognizing it, "Hmm."

"What does it mean?" Katara asked.

"I have no idea." Sokka said, they heard the palace gates close, and Kotaro noticed how the design on the front looked like a lotus tile with a Fire Nation insignia in the middle. "Ooh! That reminds me!" Sokka reached into his pocket, "Toph, I thought you might like this, since you've probably never had a chance to bend space earth before." He held out a small piece of the meteorite and Toph reached up and took it with a wide smile.

"Sweet!" She instantly started bending the rock into different shapes, "Check this out!" She bended the rock into a swirling circle, then a star, then an odd splatter shape.

"You know, I don't think there's such a thing as 'space earth'." Katara said, "If it's from space, then it's not really earth."

"Must you ruin everything?" Sokka asked her with a frown.

"I can't believe I missed you." Katara said with a smile, shaking her head.


	29. The Beach

29

Kagemi looked out over the side of the ship as she, Azula, Ty Lee, Mai, and Zuko sailed on it. The boat was bound for Ember Island, a famous Fire Nation vacation spot, and Kagemi wasn't looking forward to the trip.

"I'm so excited to spend the weekend on Ember Island!" Ty Lee said happily, "It's going to be great to hang out on the beach and do nothing."

"Doing nothing is a waste of time." Kagemi snapped as she kept herself in the shade the boat provided for all its travelers.

"We're being sent away on a forced vacation." Zuko growled, "I feel like a child." Kagemi rolled her eyes at how much Zuko sounded like a child.

"Lighten up," Azula said, "So Dad wants to meet with his advisors alone, without anyone else around. Don't take it personally."

"Doesn't your family have a house on Ember Island?" Ty Lee asked, trying to re-direct the conversation from Zuko's bad mood.

"We used to come here every summer when we were kids." Azula said.

"That must have been fun!" Ty Lee said.

"That was a long time ago…" Zuko muttered. Kagemi raised an eyebrow curiously when his tone suggested that there was more to what he meant. She pushed the thought aside as the boat came up to the docks, where a pair of aged twins dressed in pink came to meet them. Kagemi recognized them as Azula's two advisors Lo and Li.

"Welcome to Ember Island, kids." They greeted in perfect symmetry. Kagemi looked up the path that they were going to walk on, and grimaced when she saw it led to a tiny little beach house, that looked pretty pathetic to the much larger ones around it.

The two elderly women led the way to the house and everyone looked around at the place. Kagemi grimaced at the musty smell the house had.

"It smells like old lady in here." Zuko whispered to Mai as they looked around the room they were going to stay in.

"Gee, I wonder why." Mai replied sarcastically. Kagemi rolled her eyes at the couple and walked away, shouldering her pack that she had brought for the trip. She almost bumped into Ty Lee when she was looking at a picture of two lovely young women, their poses perfectly symmetrical to the other.

"Who are these two beautiful women?" Ty Lee asked the elderly twins.

"Can't you tell?" They asked her with a smile, they imitated the pose the two girls had, "It's Lo and Li!" Kagemi scrunched up her nose in disgust at the sight of them. Ty Lee, redirecting her attention to something else, collapsed on one of the beds they had prepared for four people, Kagemi looked around angrily when she saw there was no fifth bed. Where did they expect her to sleep? Did these old hags even care enough about one of Azula's subordinates to not make a bed for her?

"Ooh, I just love the sea shell bedspread." Ty Lee said happily, snuggling into the bed she claimed as hers.

"It's hideous." Kagemi said, "It looks like someone slashed open the beach's neck and dripped its blood on the sheets." Ty Lee looked up at her, and Kagemi smiled wickedly when she saw her disturbed expression.

"We know that you're upset you were forced to come here this weekend." Lo said.

"But Ember Island is a magical place." Li continued, "Keep an open mind."

"Give it a chance." Lo said.

"And it can help you understand yourselves and each other." They spoke at the same time. Lo reached over to a small table and picked up a smooth, black rock.

"The beach has a special way," She said, handing the stone to her sister.

"Of smoothing even the most ragged edges." Li finished, rubbing the stone.

"Excuse me," Kagemi said testily, "I couldn't help but notice this room only has four beds, and since I have absolutely no want to stay in a room with _everyone else_ here," She sent a pointed glare to Ty Lee, "I'll sleep in a separate place."

The two twins shared a glance, then looked back at her.

"Well… The only other spare bed we have," Li began.

"Is a small sleeping bag that we used for camping trips when we were younger." Lo finished. Kagemi's eyebrow twitched in anger.

"So where do I sleep?" She asked with gritted teeth, trying to keep her anger in control, clenching her fist, feeling her clawed fingers go up against the skin of her palm.

"There isn't a much better place to sleep than beneath the stars." Li said, Kagemi ground her teeth audibly.

"Aw, you get to sleep outside?" Ty Lee whined, embracing Kagemi from behind, "I'm so jealous!"

"Get off me!" Kagemi snarled, shoving Ty Lee away. When she tried to hug her again, Kagemi growled loudly, like a panther, and she backed off.

"Well, since that's settled…" Lo began. The two sisters clapped their hands and pulled the drawstrings on their clothes to reveal two pink bathing suits that were exactly the same.

"Time to hit the beach!" They said happily. Everyone grimaced at the sight of their wrinkled skin exposed in the relatively modest swim suits. Mai covered Zuko's eyes to protect him from seeing it.

* * *

Kotaro sighed as he stepped into the water, leaning against the rock Toph was sitting on, her feet in the water. When they landed, the five of them had found the perfect place for them to swim and cool off on such a hot day. It was a small lake, with huge walls surrounding them, suggesting that when it rained hard enough, the water would go all the way up to the top. He looked at Aang when he saw him floating around in the water, Momo sitting on his stomach, and became a little anxious at the sight of his tattoos.

"Uh, Aang?" he called to him, "I know swimming is fun and all, but are you sure you should be exposing yourself like that? Can't you cover up?"

"What? I'm wearing trunks." Aang defended as he looked over at the white-haired Shinjun.

"I know, it's your _tattoos_ I'm worried about." Kotaro said, gesturing to the exposed skin Aang had. "What if someone sees you? Everyone will know you're alive!"

"There are walls all around us." Katara said, "It's completely safe." Kotaro sighed, not believing her words. He watched as Aang found a small waterfall, and started riding down it like a slide. He grew a little uneasy when he did, hoping no one saw him.

* * *

Kagemi walked with Azula, Ty Lee, Zuko, and Mai as they walked through the sand on the beach, looking for a good place to relax. Kagemi had no want to be in the sunlight, and she really didn't want to be there, but when Ty Lee insisted she come, Azula ordered her to, and she couldn't refuse the princess. Azula walked over to where a pair of boys were making a sand castle and brought her foot down on it, destroying it. When they looked up to see who had ruined their castle, they saw Azula and her intimidating glare and ran away screaming.

"Very nice." Kagemi complimented as she set up a sun umbrella to block the sun's rays from her pale skin to keep her from getting burned. A young boy instantly came up to Ty Lee's side, giving her a smile.

"Hey, there," He greeted, trying to act cool, "Need some help unpacking?"

"Sure!" Ty Lee said happily, handing him her beach bag. "Thanks." He quickly rifled through it and pulled out a beach mat for Ty Lee to lie down on and she did so happily. Azula glared a little at this, and she turned to Kagemi, who pulled out a spare knife she had stolen from Mai's belongings and had started fiddling with it.

"Why isn't he doing that for me?" She asked her testily, pointing to Ty Lee and the boy as he moved a little to the side to give her some shade. She looked at the pair, then over at Azula, shrugging indifferently.

"Why ask me?" She asked, "I have no idea why men do such stupid things." She tossed the knife around in the air, doing tricks with her fingers, unknowingly attracting the attention of a few of the boys on the beach.

"That's wicked awesome." One said, coming over to her. She glanced at him with her dark eyes, then shooed him away.

"You're in my personal space." She said pompously, hoping that would get him to leave her alone, "Shoo." He stepped back a few steps, but he didn't leave. What Kagemi didn't know was that, in her black, two-piece bathing suit, and with her ears and tail, she had attracted a lot of attention to her body. When she started playing with the knife, she had attracted even more attention to herself by showing she had fingers nimble enough to toss a knife around and not get cut. She glanced over at Zuko and Mai, who were sitting together under their own umbrella, and she saw Zuko reach over and pick up a seashell and hold it out to Mai.

"Here, this is for you." He said, giving her a dashing smile. Mai looked at it disinterestedly.

"Why would I want that?" She asked him.

"I saw it, and I thought it was pretty." Zuko said, "Don't girls like stuff like this?"

"Maybe _stupid_ girls." Mai replied, Zuko scowled and threw the shell away.

"Forget it!" He snapped. He heard snickering, and looked to see Kagemi openly laughing at his expense. He glared at her and she turned away, looking over at Ty Lee as a young man came over and gave her the same shell that Zuko had tried to give to Mai. She guffawed as she accepted it with a "This is _so_ pretty!" She held her stomach as she rolled on her back in laughter, and Zuko scowled at her.

* * *

Kagemi glared at the third boy who had come up to her, offering her some refreshments.

"How many times do I have to tell you idiots I _don't want anything?_!" Kagemi growled at him, using her shadow bending to knock the ice cream cone in his face. She stood up from where she was sitting and walked away from him, wanting to get some space. She growled angrily as she shook some sand out of her hair, "I _hate_ the beach." She came up next to Azula, "Forgive me for intruding on your personal space, highness, but I don't know how much more of them I can stand."

"It's fine." Azula said, "I was just about to take a walk. Care to join me?"

"Yes, _please_." Kagemi said, following her. They walked along the sand in silence, not really saying anything to the other, and that was fine with them, neither of them were asking for a best friend or anything, and neither of them cared enough to talk with the other. It was a perfectly comfortable walk, until Kagemi felt a sharp pain just beneath her eye, where she knew another black vein was forming under her eye, and she hissed sharply. Lately, she had just been making them disappear with shadow bending, but when they started to come back in the day time, they caused her pain. Not enough pain to make her give up the body, but enough pain to make her know that Hoshiko was still trying to regain control. Azula looked at her curiously as she quickly got rid of the vein under her eye and turned back to the princess.

"What was that about?" Azula asked.

"Nothing, your highness." Kagemi said quickly, she looked ahead of them, and she saw a group of kids playing kuai ball. A game similar to regular beach volleyball, but with some martial arts tied into it. Azula saw this, and smirked.

"Hey, beach bums," She called to Zuko and Mai, "We're playing next." She looked over at Ty Lee, who was being fanned by two guys and given shade by a third, "_Ty Lee, get over here __**now**__!_!" She gladly did so, walking on her hands over to Azula. Zuko stood up, taking off the robe, and not noticing how girls suddenly started giggling over his physique. They went up against the winning team, which had five players, so the teams were evenly matched. Before they started playing, Azula told them to huddle up so they could form a strategy.

"See that girl with the silly pigtails?" She asked them, gesturing to the other team's best player, "When she runs towards the ball, there's just the slightest hesitation of her left foot. I'm willing to bet a childhood injury has weakened her. Keep serving the ball to her left and we'll destroy her, and the rest of her team. Dismissed." They got in their positions, and Azula made the first serve. It soared past the girl with the pigtails, and everyone else. A point for Azula. The other team served the ball, and Zuko dove and kicked it up before it hit the ground. Kagemi came up after him and hit the ball with her palm, sending it soaring over the net and past a few people. It landed next to a pair of teenage boys, who threw it back, and took part in watching the game. They watched as Ty Lee kicked the ball down and landed expertly on the net before back flipping off, and saw Mai kick the ball up over the net when it came back. The ball came to Kagemi, and she hit the ball with the bend of her elbow, sending it flying over. Finally, when they were only a point away from winning, and the ball was served up high by the other team, Zuko crouched down and Azula used his back as a stepping stair and jumped up and kicked the ball down, she 'accidentally' used her fire bending and caused a small explosion on the other team's side. Even the net was in flames.

"Yes! We have defeated you for all time! You will never rise from the ashes of your shame and humiliation!" Azula shouted in victory to the other players. When she was finished, she turned back to the others, saying in a much lighter tone, "Well, that was fun." Kagemi glared as the pair of teenage boys who had thrown their ball back to them came over to them.

"I'm having a party tonight." The taller one said, "You should come by."

"Sure!" Ty Lee said with a smile, "I love parties."

"Your friends can come, too." The one with the thicker, longer hair said, nodding at Mai and Kagemi. Mai didn't say anything, Kagemi let out an unhappy grunt.

"Uh, what about me and my brother?" Azula asked pointedly, "Aren't you going to invite _us_?" The two boys glanced at each other, obviously not interested in having either Azula or Zuko at their party, "You don't know who we are, do you?"

"Don't you know who _we_ are?" The taller boy asked pompously, "We're Chan and Ran Juan." Zuko stomped towards the boys angrily, ready to tell him off, but Azula stopped him by holding out her arm. "But, fine, you're invited. Just so you know, though, some of the most important teenagers in the Fire Nation are gonna be at this party, so… try and act normal."

"We'll do our best." Azula promised.

* * *

Zuko sighed as he knocked on the door that led outside, where Kagemi was sleeping on the porch. After their day at the beach, she said she needed some rest and was going to take a nap. Ty Lee made a crack about her 'cat napping' and they had to force her out of the porch to make sure Ty Lee was safe from her clawed hands.

"Kagemi, get up." Zuko called, "Lo and Li want to have dinner outside."

"Fine, I'll just be a minute." Kagemi groaned from the other side. Zuko, curious about why her voice sounded so hoarse, opened the door and saw Kagemi quickly hide her face under the sleeping bag, "Why are you out here_?_! I told you I'd just be a minute! Leave!"

"What's the matter with you all of a sudden?" Zuko asked, "Are you sick?"

"No!" Kagemi snapped, moving further into the sleeping bag when he tried to pull it off of her, "I just… I-I just woke up! I don't want you to see me." Zuko rolled his eyes.

"Kagemi, I doubt you could be any more disgusting than usual when you just wake up." Zuko said dryly, grabbing the fold of the sleeping bag and pulling it away from her face. He gasped at what he saw. Kagemi had huge, black, crack-like lines across her face that had been tipped white, all of the cracks' bases were at her black eyes.

She glared at him and pushed him out with a huge wave of shadow bending "LEAVE!" She slammed him into the wall on the other side of the door, and slammed it shut. Zuko was stunned for a few seconds, wondering just what all of that was about, before turning and walking away.

On the other side of the door, Kagemi's breath was slightly labored as she quickly removed the cracks from her face. She growled angrily, clenching her fist in anger. These attempts of Hoshiko trying to come out and regain control were getting tiresome. Every time she slept, the signs of her attempts to take over increased, and when it came to be too much, she would wake up. It was one of the reasons she hadn't been getting enough sleep during the night, so she had been taking repeated cat naps to try and get enough sleep so as not to devalue herself to Azula and Fire Lord Ozai. She had to keep this body for herself, she refused to give it back, not after so many years of trying to get her hands on it.

* * *

Kagemi sat, grudgingly, next to Mai and Azula as they all ate dinner with Lo and Li.

"Why didn't you tell those guys who we were?" Zuko asked before he ate his food.

"I guess I was… intrigued." Azula said, "I'm so used to people worshipping us."

"They should." Ty Lee said with an encouraging grin.

"Yes, I _know_." Azula said, "And I love it. But for once, I just wanted to see how people would treat us if they _didn't_ know who we were."

"Like waves washing away the footprints on the sand," Lo began.

"Ember Island gives everyone a clean slate." Li finished, "Ember Island reveals the true you." Kagemi rolled her eyes.

"What a load of garbage." She muttered.

Everyone looked up when the twins stood up, clapping their hands happily as they said, "To the party!"

* * *

"No." Kagemi said firmly, glaring at Ty Lee as she held out a pink ribbon.

"But you'd look so cute!" Ty Lee said with a pout.

"No." Kagemi repeated. She tried to walk away from her, but Ty Lee followed her.

"And it would match your dress!" She said, trying to get her to wear it.

"In what way?" Kagemi asked sharply.

"Well, I thought, since you didn't pack a dress, I'd give you one of mine." Ty Lee said. Kagemi glared.

"No way in hell." She said, she held up a hand, "I'm not wearing a dress."

"Wear it, Kagemi." Azula said, "It's inappropriate party attire if you don't." Kagemi growled in the back of her throat, but didn't object to what Azula said.

"Fine. I'll wear the dress." Kagemi said, glaring at Ty Lee, "But don't expect me to wear the ribbon." Ty Lee squealed happily and jumped up, embracing her. Kagemi snarled and pushed her away, "How many times do I have to tell you, you pink sugar ball_?_!_ I don't want hugs_!" Ty Lee stepped back from her anger, "Just give the damn dress."

Ty Lee held up a pink and purple dress for her to wear and she growled as she snatched it out of her hands and went to go change.

* * *

Azula reached up and knocked on the door. Chan opened it and looked quizzically at the group.

"Um, you're a little early." He said, "No one's here yet."

"I heard you telling someone you'd be partying from dusk 'til dawn." Azula said, "It's dusk. So we're here."

"But that's just an expression…" Chan said.

"We are the perfect party guests." Azula said, "We arrive right on time, because we are very punctual." Chan shrugged and let them in.

"Alright, listen," He began as he walked them inside, "My dad's an admiral, he has _no_ idea I'm throwing this party, so don't mess anything up."

"We'll try our hardest." Kagemi replied dryly, "Now where's the food? The stuff those old hags fed us isn't anywhere near enough to satisfy me."

"It's this way." Chan said, Kagemi started to follow him to where the food was, but they were stopped when Azula spoke up.

"That's a sharp outfit, Chan." She complimented, Chan and Kagemi looked back at her, "Careful, you could puncture the hull of an Empire Class Fire Nation battleship, leaving thousands to drown at sea." Kagemi and Chan both looked at her oddly, "Because… it's so sharp."

"Um… thanks." He said, putting on a smile, letting it drop once his back was turned. He directed Kagemi to a table of food, and Kagemi went and picked up some meat and popped the food into her mouth. Chan came up beside her and she narrowed her eyes at him, "Is she always that creepy?" He pointed to Azula, and Kagemi swallowed her food before speaking.

"No." She replied, "She's normally malicious and manipulative. It's quite something if you ever get a chance to watch." She went back to eating, not caring for any further conversation with the young man.

While he was fixing his hair, Ran Juan caught sight of Azula and the others walking through the house. He tore his eyes away from the mirror and smirked coolly at them.

"Hey." He greeted, "First ones here, eh?" No one replied to him.

Zuko 'tsk'ed, "He thinks he's so great…" He turned to Mai, "Well?" She looked at him, "What do you think of him?"

"I don't have any opinion about him." Mai said, "I hardly know him."

"You like him, don't you?" Zuko accused, Mai rolled her eyes and walked away.

* * *

Kagemi stood next to Azula as the party had hit its full swing, people talking and chatting happily. She didn't care for any more food, and if anyone tried to start a conversation with her, she turned them away.

"I hate parties…" She muttered to Azula as they leaned against a wooden post that held up the house.

"Then why did you come?" Azula asked.

"You told me to." Kagemi said, "I said I'd obey you, and I will. I swore my loyalty to you."

"And you are a very loyal subject." Azula said, sounding like she was commending her, "But I'm afraid you attract a little too much attention."

"It's Ty Lee's dress." Kagemi said in distaste as she glared at the clothes she wore. "I hate pink."

"Then why did you wear it?" Azula asked.

"You told me to." Kagemi replied. They watched as Ty Lee knocked down her harem of guys whom she had met at the beach and came over beside them with a smile.

"Oh, I'm glad you're here." She said, "Those boys won't leave me alone! I guess they all just like me too much." She shrugged and Kagemi rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Ty Lee, you can't be this ignorant." Kagemi said.

"What are you talking about?" Ty Lee asked in genuine confusion.

"Oh, sweet spirits…" Kagemi sighed, smacking her forehead with her hand at Ty Lee's answer.

"Those boys only like you because you make it so easy for them." Azula explained, "You're not a challenge. You're a tease. It's not like they actually care who you are." Ty Lee's eyes filled with tears and she began to cry. Kagemi cackled in mirth at the sight of it.

"Nice one!" She praised Azula, who sent her a look to get her to stop laughing, "Sorry." Azula went over to Ty Lee and took her hands in hers.

"Okay, okay, calm down." She said, "I didn't mean what I said." Ty Lee wiped her tears away and looked up at Azula, "Look, maybe I just said it because… I was a little…" She leaned in and whispered, "Jealous."

"What?" Ty Lee gasped, "You're jealous of me? But you're the most beautiful, smartest, perfect girl in the world!"

"Kiss ass." Kagemi muttered.

"Well, you're right about all those things," Azula said, "But for some reason, when I meet boys, they act as if I'm going to do something horrible to them."

"Because you probably _would_ do something horrible to them." Kagemi said, she glared at a boy that was staring at her, and he turned away, "I just wish they would get it through their thick heads that I'd do the same thing."

"I'm sure they're just intimidated by you." Ty Lee said to Azula, "Okay, look, if you want a boy to like you, just look at him and smile a lot and laugh at everything he says, even if it's not funny."

"Well, that sounds really shallow and stupid." Azula said with a disapproving frown. She turned to Ty Lee with a smile, "Let's try it." Ty Lee smiled.

"Okay, Kagemi, come over here and pretend to be a boy." Ty Lee said, Kagemi groaned and went over in front of Azula, taking a pose a boy normally would with a girl.

"Hey there, hot stuff." She greeted in a fake voice, "How ya likin' this party?" She jumped back when Azula laughed loudly and boisterously. Heads turned towards Azula, and she coughed. After a moment, they went back to what they had been doing previously.

"I'd go for a… light giggle next time." Ty Lee said gently, Azula flushed ashamedly and nodded.

"I'm going to get a drink." Kagemi said, hoping that Chan snuck some alcohol to the party for her to drink.

"Get me some punch." Azula said, Kagemi nodded and headed towards the table, passing by Zuko and Mai as they sat together on a couch.

"I'm bored." Mai said.

"I know." Zuko replied.

"I'm hungry." Mai said.

"So what?" Zuko asked.

"So, find me some food." Mai said.

"Sure." Zuko said, getting up and walking over to the table, standing beside Kagemi by accident as she talked with someone.

"Seriously?" She asked a boy as he handed her a drink, "_Virgin_ fire whiskey? Don't you have anything else?" The boy shook his head and Kagemi groaned, handing him the cup back, "Then just get me a couple cups of punch." He nodded with a smile and got them as quickly as he could and handed them to her, "Thanks." She walked away, not caring that the boy was following her.

Once Zuko had gotten some food that he knew Mai liked, he started walking back to her, bumping into the boy that was following Kagemi and dropping the food. Kagemi continued on, not caring for the oncoming spat.

"Hey, watch it!" Zuko snapped at the boy, "That food was for my cranky girlfriend!" He pointed to where Mai was sitting and was surprised to see her talking to Ran Juan. Anger coursed through him and he went over to him and pushed him away from Mai.

"What are you doing?" Ran Juan asked him, fixing his hair.

"Stop talking to my girlfriend!" Zuko growled at him.

"Relax, it's just a party." Ran Juan said, coming over to him. Zuko raised up his hand and pushed him back, crashing into a large vase with his fire bending.

"Zuko!" Mai cried, coming over to him, "What is _wrong_ with you?"

"What's wrong with _me?_!" Zuko said angrily.

"Your temper's out of control!" Mai said, "You blow up over every little thing! You're so impatient, and hotheaded, and angry!"

"At least I feel something!" Zuko shot back, "As opposed to _you_! You have no passion for anything! You're just a big _blah_!" Mai turned away.

"It's over, Zuko." She said, "We're done."

Not too far away, Kagemi snickered at the sight of their fight. "About time." She turned to Ty Lee, "They're a terrible couple." Ty Lee frowned, shaking her head in disagreement.

"Who broke my Nana's vase?" Chan shouted, coming over to the broken vase. Ran Juan pointed to Zuko, and he ran towards him, "That's it, you're outta here!"

"I was just leaving." Zuko said, stalking away from him.

"Have fun by yourself, _loser boy!_" Ran Juan said to his back. Kagemi rolled her eyes and handed her drink to Ty Lee.

"Later." She said, Ty Lee watched her leave with wide eyes.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"If he's leaving, I'm leaving." Kagemi replied, gesturing to where Zuko had just gone through the door, "I'm not sticking around." She walked out of the door and out of the house. While Zuko went further down the beach, Kagemi only walked down the shore, letting the ocean water splash against her feet and she felt a little satisfaction in the fact that it was ruining Ty Lee's dress. She looked out at the ocean, seeing the moon's reflection against the ocean in the distance. She didn't think it beautiful, seeing as the moon probably did that every night, but she wouldn't want it not to happen. It was an interesting sight to her. She hissed when she suddenly felt a piercing headache, as if someone was trying to break through the inside of her skull with a spear. She held her head as she groaned in pain, hunching over as she tried to will the pain away. She looked down at the ground in front of her, and her eyes widened when she saw her shadow was being manipulated against her will. A pair of blue eyes appeared in the shadow, and she glared at them. With an angry shriek, she bent up the shadow that held the two eyes and had it thrown out into the ocean.

"What was that about?"

Kagemi turned her head to see Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee all had left the party. She stood up straight and said nothing as she walked over to the three girls.

"It was nothing, your highness." Kagemi said calmly.

"It sure didn't look like nothing." Mai said. Kagemi glared at her, growling.

"It. Was. Nothing." She said through clenched teeth, "So drop it, alright?"

Ty Lee gasped, "Kagemi!" She looked over at her and saw she was looking at her feet in horror, "You ruined my dress!"

"It's a dress. Get over it." Kagemi said. Azula gave her a look, silently commanding her to apologize, "Sorry, forget I said that. I'll get you a new one that's just as good."

Azula put her hand on Kagemi's shoulder, "Come on, I'm going to find Zuko. You stay with the girls, okay?"

"Yes." Kagemi said, nodding once. She followed Ty Lee and Mai to a small, private area where they all sat down on different stone seats. Kagemi simply leaned against one that was a little away from the fire pit in between the three, crossing her arms on the stone and putting her head there, waiting until Azula came back with Zuko.

* * *

"Guys?" Kotaro was awoken by the sound of Toph's call to him and the others, "You're all gonna think I'm crazy, but it feels like a metal man is coming." Kotaro stared at the blind girl dryly for a moment, not liking the fact that she had woken him up from his almost impossible-to-find sleep for that.

"You're right, I _do_ think you're crazy." Kotaro said as Aang groaned from a bright light shining in his eyes. He held up his hand to try and block the source, wondering just what could be so bright when it was so dark. He looked and saw a figure on the cliff of the walls around the pool where they had made camp. The light was a reflection of moonlight off of what appeared to be a metal gauntlet around his hand. The man didn't move much other than taking in a deep breath. When he exhaled, a small something expelled from him and shot towards the others, exploding once it got close to them.

In retaliation, Toph bent up some rocks to knock him off the cliff. Again, it was blown away with another explosion, and it traveled closer to them than the previous one. Aang blew it back to where it wouldn't hurt them, but it did a considerable amount of damage to the cliff. Kotaro came up next, holding out two fingers towards the man and shooting out a lightning bolt at him, only to have him step to the side and avoid it. Katara, trying her method, brought up a huge tower of water to bring down on him, and he blasted through that as well. The result of the explosion caused a cloud of steam to come up, blocking the man's view of the group.

* * *

Kagemi hated the silence between her and the two girls. So, when she heard Azula and Zuko's feet treading through the sand, she was grateful for their arrival. She looked up at Azula as she sat beside where she was leaning against the stone seat. As Zuko passed Mai, she glanced up at him, looking a little guilty.

"Hey." She greeted him awkwardly.

"Where's your new boyfriend?" Zuko asked scathingly. Mai scowled and turned away, that guilty expression disappearing from her face. Zuko frowned when he saw what he had done and moved to sit beside her, "Are you cold?" When he moved his arm to put it around her shoulders, she slapped it away.

"I'm _freezing_!" Ty Lee said, trying to make the couple's situation a little less awkward. When Zuko looked at her, she smiled in a friendly way, and he returned it.

"I'll make a fire." He said, he glared up at a summer home on the hill he and Azula had come from, "There's _plenty_ of stuff to burn in there."

* * *

The man shot another blast through the steam, and everyone went to hide behind a ditch Toph had made for their protection.

"This is crazy!" Sokka said, "How can we beat a guy who blows things up with his _mind?_!"

"We can." Aang said, "Jump on Appa, I'll try to distract him!" He ran into the smoke from the last explosion and jumped up on the walls, dodging another explosion from the man as he went to the place beyond the plateau where they were staying. Everyone was stunned for a moment, listening as three more explosions came from the other side of the plateau. After the fourth one, Kotaro was able to snap back to his senses.

"You heard the man!" He said to the others, "Go! Go!" They all quickly gathered up their things, listening to the explosions in the distance and doing their best to ignore them as they got ready. As much as they hated the feeling of the rumbling ground, and the huge boom that shook their brains inside their skulls, they hated the silence more. When there were booms, that meant Aang was alive and still fighting, when there was silence, there was reason to think that Aang had failed and had perished at the man's hand (Or forehead, whatever).

When they got everything packed up, they all got on the bison, and they took off into the sky. They looked around for Aang, and saw something shooting through the air from one of the explosions. Seeing that it was Aang, Sokka directed Appa to fly underneath him and catch him in the saddle, escaping the man. Once he was with them, Katara immediately wrapped her arms around Aang, who was tired and breathless from fighting with the man.

"I'm okay." He assured her.

"Well, that was random." Toph said.

"I don't think so." Katara said, "I get the feeling he knows who we are." Kotaro frowned, glaring at the plateau as it quickly grew smaller and smaller behind them.

* * *

Kagemi watched as Zuko tossed a portrait of his family from when he was young into the fire he had made.

"What are you doing?" Ty Lee asked him in surprise.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Zuko snapped.

"But it's a painting of your family…" Ty Lee said, looking at the burning remains of the picture as it turned to ash in the fire pit.

"You think I care_?_!" Zuko snapped.

"I think you do." Ty Lee said softly.

"You don't know me!" Zuko said angrily, "So why don't you just mind your own business_?_!" He turned away and looked out to the ocean.

Ty Lee scoffed quietly, "I know you."

"No, you don't!" Zuko said, turning back to her, "You're stuck in your little Ty Lee world, where everything is great all the time!"

"Zuko, leave her alone." Mai said, but Zuko wasn't finished yet.

"I'm so pretty!" Zuko said in a high-pitched tone, mocking her, "Look at me! I can walk on my hands! _Woo_!" He did a handstand, scowling at her, then fell forward onto his back. "Circus freak."

Kagemi let out a snickering laugh at his words, and Ty Lee looked at him with tears in her eyes, "Yes, I'm a circus freak. Go ahead and laugh all you want! You wanna know why I joined the circus?"

"Here we go…" Azula sighed.

"Do you have any idea what my home life was like? Growing up with six sisters who look _exactly like me?_!" Ty Lee asked, standing up, "It was like I didn't even have my own _name_!" She fell back down to her knees, her voice shaking, "I joined the circus because I was scared of living the rest of my life as part of a matched set!" She looked up, glaring at Zuko through her tears, "At least I'm different now! Circus freak is a _compliment_!"

"I guess it's why you need ten boyfriends, too." Mai said.

"I'm sorry, what?" Ty Lee looked at her.

"Attention issues." Mai said simply, "You couldn't get enough attention when you were a kid, so you're trying to make up for it now."

"Well, what's _your_ excuse, Mai?" Ty Lee asked, "You were an only child for fifteen years! But even with _all_ of that attention, your aura is this dingy, pasty, _grey_-!"

"I don't believe in auras." Mai interrupted.

"Yeah, you don't believe in anything." Zuko said, getting up from where he had laid down.

"Oh, well, I'm sorry I can't be as high-strung and crazy as the rest of you." Mai said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, too." Zuko said, walking over to her, "I wish you _would_ be as high-strung and crazy as the rest of us, instead of keeping all your feelings all bottled up inside! She just called your aura dingy! Are you gonna take that_?_!"

"What do you want from me?" Mai asked as she lay back on the stone bench she sat on, "You want a tearful confession about how hard my childhood was? Well, it wasn't. I was a rich, only child who got anything I wanted… As long as I behaved… and sat still… and didn't speak unless spoken to… My mother said we had to keep out of trouble. We had my father's political career to think about."

"Well, that's it, then." Azula said conclusively, "You had a controlling mother who had certain expectations, and when you strayed from them, you were shut down. That's why you're afraid to care about anything, and can't express yourself." Mai quickly sat up.

"You want me to express myself?" She asked, she stood up, shouting, "_Leave me alone!_" There was a moment of silence. Kagemi raising her eyebrows in surprise at her voice, but nothing more except maybe a twitch.

"I like it when you express yourself." Zuko said softly as he came over to her. When he reached out, she smacked his hand away.

"Don't touch me!" She snapped, "I'm still mad at you."

"My life hasn't been easy, either, Mai." Zuko said.

"Whatever." Mai replied, "That doesn't excuse the way you've been acting."

"Calm down you guys!" Ty Lee said, "All this negative energy is bad for your skin. You'll totally break out."

"_Bad skin?_" Zuko repeated scathingly, "_Normal_ teenagers worry about bad skin. I don't have that luxury! My father decided to teach me a permanent lesson _on my face_!"

"Sorry, Zuko, I…" Ty Lee trailed off quietly.

"For so long, I thought that if my dad accepted me, I'd be happy." Zuko continued, looking out at the ocean, "I'm back home now, my dad talks to me." He let out a humorless laugh, "He even thinks I'm a _hero_! Everything should be perfect, right? I should be happy now, but I'm not! I'm angrier than ever, and I don't know _why_!"

"There's a simple question you need to answer then," Azula said, "Who are you angry at?"

"No one!" Zuko said, "I'm just angry!"

"Yeah, who are you angry at, Zuko?" Mai asked.

"Everyone!" Zuko said, he grasped at his hair, "I don't know!"

"Is it Dad?" Azula asked.

"No, no…" Zuko said quickly, removing his hands from his hair. He wasn't angry at his father, how could he be?

"Is it your uncle?" Ty Lee asked.

"Me?" Azula asked.

"No, n-no! No!" Zuko said quickly, he wasn't angry at his uncle, annoyed, maybe, but never angry, and while he had been angry at Azula a few times before, but she wasn't the cause of all the anger he had now.

"Then who? Who are you angry at?" Mai asked.

"Answer the question, Zuko!" Azula said.

"Talk to us!" Ty Lee urged.

"Come on, answer the question." Mai said.

"Come on, answer it." Azula said.

Zuko had had enough, and with a powerful wave of his hands that made the fire in the pit reach up to ten feet in height, he cried, "_I'm angry at myself!_" Everyone shielded themselves from the pillar of fire until it had died down, and Zuko had calmed down a little bit.

"Why?" Azula asked.

"Because I'm confused." Zuko said softly, "Because I don't think I know the difference between right and wrong anymore."

"How pathetic." Kagemi laughed from where she was still leaning against the rock. Mai got up from where she sat and walked over to him.

"I know one thing I care about." She said, taking his hand, "I care about you." Zuko smiled and they shared a kiss. They stopped and looked back to see Azula giving them a slow applause.

"Well, those were all wonderful performances, everyone." She said.

"I guess you wouldn't understand, would you, Azula?" Zuko asked, "Because you're just _so_ perfect."

"Well, yes, I guess you're right." Azula said, "I don't have sob stories like all of you. I could sit here and complain how our Mom liked Zuko more than me, but I don't really care." Her gaze turned to the still glowing embers of the fire, "My own mother… thought I was a monster…" Kagemi quirked an eyebrow at her unusually soft tone of voice, which was gone as quickly as it had come as she cheerfully replied, "She was right, of course, but it still hurt." Ty Lee looked over at where Kagemi had been sitting.

"What about you, Kagemi?" She asked, the girl in question turned her dark eyes to Ty Lee.

"What?" She asked.

"You've been so quiet this whole time." Ty Lee said, "What about your life?"

"Like I'd tell you guys." Kagemi replied with a scoff, "And besides, there isn't much to tell anyway. I'm a _Ni-nin_, the other half of a person. This is the longest I've been in control of this body since…" She shrugged, "Well, since I was born. I was always allowed control before because I was a much better bender than _she_ was, so I only came out for battle." She moved up so she was no longer leaning up on her arms, but sitting on her knees with her elbows resting on the stone, she had been leaning against, "But, it's not like it matters anymore anyway." She held out one hand with a grin, "I'm _here_." She held out her other hand, "She's _not_." She brought them together, "I'm _happy_." She put them back down on the stone, "End of story."

"But what was all that stuff from before?" Zuko asked, "With all those cracks on your face?" He saw how Kagemi instantly stiffened, the fur on her tail bristling, and her ears hooding back. She gave the scarred prince a fierce glare, a low growl sounding in her throat.

"What is he talking about?" Azula asked her, looking at her sternly.

"A _minor_ setback." Kagemi replied through gritted teeth, still glaring at Zuko, "A problem easily attended to. It'll fix itself with time. There's no need to worry about it."

"It doesn't sound like it." Azula said.

"I said _don't worry about it_!" Kagemi snapped, whipping her head towards the princess, "If that bitch thinks I'm giving this body back that easily, she's got another thing coming!"

"…So your other half is trying to regain control?" Azula asked, Kagemi's eyes went wide when she realized what she had just said, and cursed under her breath.

"I can handle her easily." She said, "We had an accord, and unless I somehow break it, which I _won't_, she won't get her body back." The fur on her tail was still bristling, but she calmly said, "It's nothing to worry about at all. I'm in control now. It's _fine_."

After a moment of contemplative silence, Ty Lee said, "What Lo and Li said came true." She picked up a nearby rock and rubbed the smoothness of it, "The beach did help us learn about ourselves." She smiled, "I feel all _smoothed_. I'll always remember this."

"You know what would make this trip really memorable?" Azula asked with an evil grin.

* * *

Azula knocked on the door of Chan's house, and he opened it, looking curiously at the group of people on the other side.

"We've got some bad news, Chan." Azula said.

"Party's over." Zuko said.

With that, the five of them ran into the house, and proceeded to destroy everything in sight.


	30. The Avatar and The Fire Lord

30

Hoshiko opened her eyes, looking around the room that had been given to Kagemi. She was in luck. She had finally driven Kagemi's consciousness away with exhaustion that night, but she knew it wouldn't last long. She had an hour at best. She needed to make the most of it. It was the dead of night, and almost everyone was asleep. She got up from the bed, groaning a little as she felt the weight of her limbs on her body, still tired from exhaustion. She used some of the strength she had to get out of the room, going to someone she hoped would help her.

She walked around, moving quickly and quietly through the palace as she snuck outside the grounds, heading for somewhere she had only seen through Kagemi's memories.

It took her a good little while, but she finally reached it. She looked up at the huge, winding building that was the Fire Nation prison. Using the same technique as Kagemi, she sunk into the shadows, turning into a little black blob on the floor. She traveled along the corners of the walls, staying still as any guards passed by, and then kept moving on until she reached the cell she wanted. The entire time she moved, she could feel her strength slowly depleting, and she knew that her body couldn't withstand so much work after such a great amount of time. She would return to the prison Kagemi had made for her soon, but hopefully not too soon. She snuck underneath the door, and reverted to her normal self on the other side.

Iroh looked in amazement at the Shinjun that had snuck through into his cell. He had seen her once before, when Zuko last came to visit him, but something about her appearance was significantly different. He knew that she was different from the Shinjun he had seen with his nephew during his last visit, but now she more resembled the Shinjun he had seen in Ba-Sing-Se when he first met her. She quickly went over to the bars of his cell, grasping at them. She looked exhausted.

"I don't have much time." She panted out, "Do you remember me, Iroh?"

"Yes, I remember you." Iroh said.

"Where?" Hoshiko demanded, she needed to know if he thought she was Kagemi.

"When I journeyed with the avatar to the crystal catacombs of Ba-Sing-Se." Iroh said, "After that… you changed." Hoshiko smiled.

"That wasn't me." She said.

"I am aware of the shadow bending legend of _ni-nin_." Iroh said, "She was your other half." Hoshiko nodded.

"I'm glad I don't have to explain it to you." She said.

"You've regained control?" Iroh asked, Hoshiko shook her head.

"Only temporarily." She said, "I'll collapse from exhaustion in a half hour or so." She moved closer to the bars, "I need your help." Iroh leaned in closer, showing that she had his utmost attention, "I'm only here now because I've exhausted Kagemi, and she won't know that I've spoken to you. She doesn't know that I've broken through her defenses, she doesn't even know I'm conscious right now. I need your help to get me back in control."

"How can I do that?" He asked.

"On the Day of Black Sun," Hoshiko said, "The avatar is launching an invasion of the Fire Nation. You need to escape this place." Iroh nodded, "And when you do, come and get me. I've been working non-stop to get back to my body permanently, and at this rate, my best chance is on that day. If I find out where I'll be placed, _you_ have to come and get me."

"Why?" Iroh asked.

"Because right now, you're the only ally I have." Hoshiko said. Iroh's face turned into a grim frown, but he nodded, understanding. "If there was something I could do to increase the number of allies I have, I would."

"Actually, they're just might be a way." Iroh said, he moved over to his cell wall, removing a loose brick and pulling out a scroll. "Take this to the palace and place it outside Zuko's bedroom." Hoshiko took the scroll, "This may help him realize his path." Hoshiko nodded, tucking the scroll under her arm, "When he does, he will help you." Hoshiko nodded and stood up. "I hope to speak to you again."

"As I, you." Hoshiko said in return, going back into the shadowy blob form and went out of the room, sneaking out of the prison again.

Halfway through her trip back to the palace, Hoshiko's body was no longer able to hold the strain of being in that form and she had to release herself from it. She snuck to the front door of the prince's room. She intended to leave the scroll there and leave silently, but her body was still weak from exhaustion, and she felt as though her limbs had suddenly been turned to lead, and walking was becoming nearly impossible. She went over in front of Prince Zuko's room and placed the scroll at the front of his door so he would see it in the morning, if a guard didn't see it first. As she walked away, her body's exhaustion caused her to fall over on her face, and she was tempted to lie there, but she was sure the noise she made had awoken the prince, and she scrambled to get up. Just as she turned a corner, she heard the prince's door open. She peeked around the corner and saw Zuko pick up the scroll and open it.

"You need to know the story of your great-grandfather's demise." Zuko read aloud, "It will reveal your own destiny…" He stopped, and he looked around, and Hoshiko hid again, her legs shaking as they became slowly unable to stand. Once she heard his door shut, she dashed down the hallway to the room she had been given, pausing only in front of one room. Her breathing was ragged, and she was sweating profusely as she walked in. Before Kagemi locked her back up, there was just one thing she had to do, just one thing.

She went into the room where Kagemi had found Fire Lady Ursa's belongings, and went over to where the title-less books rested. There were dozens, and she grabbed the book that started the long line of dozens, and the one that ended at the long line. They were both surely her diaries, and one of them was the one that bore the last entry, that would perhaps reveal the mystery as to what had happened to cause the Fire Lady's sudden disappearance. She quickly went back to her room, hiding the two diaries under the chair of a vanity and then she went to the bed, collapsing upon it. She was asleep before her head even hit the mattress.

* * *

Kotaro sat in the back of Appa's saddle as he and the rest of the GAang flew through the air. Last night, Aang had received a message from Avatar Roku, telling him to meet him on his home island on the day of the summer solstice. No one really argued with the young monk about it.

After about an hour of flying, Aang started to dissipate some of the cloud cover. He pointed down to an island with two black mountains resting on it. "There it is! That's Roku's home." They went down the island, and instead of seeing a village there, all they saw was darkened ground and grey dirt everywhere on the island.

"But… there's nothing here." Katara said, looking around. Toph was the last one to jump down off the saddle, and she stopped once she did, her milky eyes wide.

"…Yes there is." She said, "An entire village. Hundreds of houses. All completely buried in ash…" Kotaro looked up at the mountains, seeing that the hardened ash went up to the tops of the mountains.

"The volcano must have erupted." He said, pointing to it, "I wonder if it's still active…"

"I don't feel any lava churning." Toph said, "I think we're okay." Kotaro nodded, but still felt a little wary of the looming mountain.

* * *

Kagemi awoke with a pounding headache that morning, groaning, and hiding under the sheets of her bed, blocking the sunlight away from her eyes. Why did she feel like this? She felt even worse than she did yesterday! Tonight, she'd get to sleep a little earlier, although she had strangest remnants of a dream, but she wasn't really sure what it was anymore, and she didn't really care, either. She was in too much pain to care about a dream that meant nothing.

When someone knocked on her door, she felt ready to kill.

"_What?_!" She snarled at the person on the other side, a feral growl coming out when she spoke.

"Princess Azula is requesting to see you, Miss Kagemi." A voice said through the door. Let out a low rumbling growl and got up.

"Fine." She said, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and went to change into her clothes for the day, a black and white kimono top and black pants. She went over to the mirror, and let out a snarl when she saw that the white-tipped cracks on her face had gotten even longer, going down to where her neck reached. "You better give up this stupid struggle…" She growled as she bent away the lines on her face.

She walked out of her room and went down the hall, bowing to the princess once she was in sight. "You wanted to see me, your highness?"

"Yes, I wanted your assistance with something." Azula said, "We're preparing against an invasion." Kagemi's ears perked at the word, "And we need someone to help train our soldiers against Shinjun benders."

"It would be an honor to help the Fire Nation army." Kagemi said. Azula smirked.

"As it should be." She turned around, "Come with me." Kagemi followed her through the palace, which was something of a great labyrinth to anyone that was unfamiliar with it, but Kagemi had been in the place long enough to tell which way led to her room, the dining hall, and now, the soldier's barracks. As they walked, they passed a hall of portraits, showing each Fire Lord in recorded history of the Fire Nation along its walls. Zuko was there, looking up at the portrait of Fire Lord Sozin, his great-grandfather.

"It's never too early for a sitting with the court painter, Zuko." Azula said as she and Kagemi walked by.

"Yeah, and make sure he gets your _good_ side." Kagemi said with a smirk, pointing to where Zuko's scar rested. The prince watched the two girls leave, about to snap something at them, but paused, and decided to get their advice on something.

"Wait. I need to ask you something." Azula stopped, and so did Kagemi, "What do you remember about our great-grandfather's history?" Kagemi lifted a curious eyebrow at the prince.

"Oh, Zuko." Azula sighed, turning to face him, "It's so strange how your mind works." She walked over to him, Kagemi remaining where she was. "Fire Lord Sozin began the war, of course. He spent his early years secretly preparing for it, yet he was as patient, as he was clever. He famously waited for the comet, later re-named Sozin's Comet, and used its power to launch his full-scale invasion of the world. In the end, he died a very old and successful man."

"But _how_ did he die?" Zuko asked.

"Didn't you pay _any_ attention in school, Zuko?" Azula asked snippily as she began to walk away, "He died peacefully. In his sleep. He was _ancient_." She made a gesture for Kagemi to follow, and she did. Zuko looked up at the portrait, not satisfied with Azula's answer.

* * *

"So, how does this work, exactly?" Kotaro asked as Aang went up to a small jut of land as the sun began to lower behind the horizon, preparing to speak to Roku in the Spirit World.

"I just meditate, and I should be able to get there pretty easily." Aang said with a shrug, "I don't really know how to explain it. It just… happens." Kotaro sighed, clearly understanding that he wasn't going to get a better answer from the young avatar.

"Well, okay then." He shrugged, "Get to the spirit world, then. Don't wanna be late to see Roku." He walked away, giving him some space as he sat down in a meditating position, just as the setting sun hit the water, his tattoos began to glow.

Aang soon found himself in the Spirit World, looking like he did when he first entered it, dressed in his old air bending outfit, and a cleanly shaven head like before. He looked up when he heard the flapping of wings and saw a large red dragon coming towards him. Riding on its back was Roku, who smiled fondly at the young air bender.

* * *

Zuko tossed and turned in his bed, still trying to decipher the strange message that had been sent to him the previous night. He reached over where he had left the scroll and opened it up, reading the short message again. He frowned when he read it, seeing that there was nothing to make him think that there was some secret lying in the words.

"What does it _mean_?" He asked, in frustration, he tossed the scroll away, making it land on the small lamp by his bed. He looked over at it, wondering if the candle in the lantern would burn it, but he was surprised when he saw a smaller, red text showing in the light. Immediately, he went over to it, and held the scroll to the light to read the hidden message.

_The Fire Sages keep the secret history in the Dragon Bone Catacombs._

Zuko narrowed his eyes, and rolled the scroll up. He went to where he had put his cloak and donned it, pulling up the hood and leaving the room.

He moved quietly down the halls, being especially careful not to attract any attention from any guards on duty, but as he passed a corner, he didn't see the shadowy blob trailing behind him, dark eyes showing on the blackness. The blob moved to a spot, too tired to go any further, and Kagemi stepped out of it. She watched as the prince continued to move down the hall silently, not noticing her presence.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" She asked him, her voice making the prince jump, pulling out a sword and pointing it at her throat. Kagemi was unfazed by the sudden motion, giving the prince a discerning eye, "Well?"

"It's just you." Zuko said, pulling the sword away and sheathing it.

"I thought you were finished with these visits to your uncle." Kagemi said disapprovingly.

"How did you even know I was here?" Zuko asked, changing the subject. Kagemi scoffed.

"You think that someone moves through this palace, and I don't know about it?" She asked him, she crossed her arms across her chest with a smug grin, "Give me some credit, Zuzu."

"It's Zuko." He said sharply, Kagemi shrugged her shoulders.

"Whatever." She said, "You still didn't answer my question. Where are you going?"

"I'm not going to visit my uncle." Zuko said, "I'm going to the Dragon Bone Catacombs, if that satisfies your curiosity." He turned around, continuing to walk.

"Why?" Kagemi asked, following him.

"Because… I just am!" Zuko said, not wanting to tell her of the message he received, "Go back to sleep."

"Can't. I'm an insomniac." Kagemi said as she followed him, "And a trip to the Dragon Bone Catacombs sounds boring enough to put me to sleep."

"You're not coming with me." Zuko said, turning to face her.

"Who's going to stop me?" Kagemi asked with a smug grin.

"I am." Zuko said, "I'm ordering you to stay here."

"I swore my loyalty to your sister, not you." Kagemi said with a roll of her eyes, "I'm coming with you. I don't want you causing any more trouble than you already have."

"I still say no." Zuko said stiffly, turning around and continuing to walk. Kagemi shrugged nonchalantly.

"All right," She said, "Have it your way." She took in a deep breath and began shouting, "GUARDS! INTRUDER! THERE'S AN INTRU-!" Zuko quickly ran over to her and covered her mouth. He could feel her lips moving back in a smile.

"Mwellm?" She asked through his fingers. Zuko scowled and moved his hand away.

"Not a _sound_. Got that?" He said, Kagemi mockingly made a motion of locking her lips together with a key. She followed Zuko through the palace as they went after one of the Fire Sages, following him to a small place, watching as he opened up the door to the catacombs with fire bending. Zuko and Kagemi stayed still, not wanting to be seen.

They waited until he left the catacombs before going over to it themselves, Zuko opening up the entrance, and Kagemi following him down the spiraling stairs to the underground area below. As they walked through the empty hallways, they saw the skulls of countless dragons resting on the walls. They moved quietly through the halls until they came to a door that bore a metal statue of Fire Lord Sozin. Zuko put his hand to the emblem in the statue's hands and moved fire into it, making it travel through the statue, setting Sozin's eyes and mouth a flam before opening up. Zuko walked through lighting a small lantern by the door and looked at four scrolls that rested in the middle of the room before a statue of Sozin's dragon.

Zuko looked to one scroll in particular, reaching out to it, "The Final Testament of Fire Lord Sozin." He opened it up and began to read the words that had been written inside it.

_As I feel my own life dimming, I can't help but think of a time when things were so much brighter. I remember my friends, Roku and Hikaru…_

Zuko's eyes widened. His great-grandfather was friends with Avatar Roku? And who was Hikaru?

* * *

Roku held out his hand to Aang, pulling him up onto his dragon. "Come, Aang." Once he was seated behind Roku, the dragon took off, flying somewhere at a speed impossible for a dragon in the physical world.

"Where are we going?" Aang asked him.

"To visit my past." Roku said, he smiled at him, "Our shared past." Aang smiled at the thought.

Roku took Aang to where a young Roku and another young man, who was wearing Roku's headpiece, were having a fire bending battle. Aang watched as they quickly went back and forth in their skills, the match ending when the young man blew back Roku with a blast of fire, making him trip over the root of a nearby tree. He smirked.

"Looks like I win again, Roku." He said.

"Are you kidding?" Roku asked him with a grin, "The tree root did all the work!" The other young man let out a chuckle and reached down to help Roku up. Once he was standing, he patted his shoulder, "Nice one, Sozin."

"You were friends with Fire Lord Sozin?" Aang asked in shock when he saw it.

"Back then, he was just Prince Sozin." Roku said with a smile, "And he was my best friend." As they walked through the palace grounds, a dark-haired panther Shinjun with bright green eyes came towards them with a smile.

"Nice moves, Roku!" He praised, handing him a canteen of water. Roku happily took a few sips from it. Aang's eyes widened as he looked at the Shinjun, and his heart clenched painfully at how much he resembled Hoshiko. "And Sozin, you're good, too."

"I know." He said, pretending to act like his ego was larger than his head. They all laughed at him.

"Roku, who is that?" Aang asked, pointing to the Shinjun as he took his canteen back.

"That is the great-grandfather of Hoshiko, his name is Hikaru." Roku said, "He worked in the palace, and we all became fast friends." Sozin took the canteen next and they walked out of the grounds. As they did, Roku stopped, standing stiff as a pretty girl walked by. He blushed a little when he saw her, and he sighed dreamily when he saw her walk away. Hikaru nudged him.

"Say something to her!" He said. Roku went after her, and he tried to speak, but she was gone before he could say anything. He groaned and fell backwards onto the ground. Sozin went over to him and sat beside his head, grabbing some grass and sprinkling it on his face, Hikaru moving onto his other side with a sympathetic smile.

"Love is hard when you're young." Roku said, looking at the younger version of himself.

"You don't have to tell me." Aang said sadly, thinking of Katara.

"Don't worry. It gets better." Roku assured, putting his hand on Aang's shoulder, "Now come with me, we have a party to attend."

* * *

Kagemi groaned as she walked around the room, "I'm so _bored_!" Zuko shot her a nasty glare.

"Quiet!" He hissed, "Do you want us to get caught?"

"There's nobody here." Kagemi said, "Who's gonna catch us?"

"Just be quiet." Zuko said, "We can't take any chances." Kagemi groaned again.

"But it's so boring!" She whined. Zuko let out a weary sigh.

"Why don't you read one of the scrolls?" He suggested, gesturing to the three other scrolls behind him. Kagemi let out a huff, but consented to it, grabbing one of the scrolls and opening it up, reading the first of the four. Zuko went back to the scroll.

_ The day of my sixteenth birthday shall be one I can never forget. Roku and I were celebrating it with a party, for it was his birthday as well. When I close my eyes, sometimes I can still see the brightly glowing lanterns, and hear the voices of the crowds of people speaking. The sages came to us, and I thought that something had happened to my father, but instead, they were there to announce the identity of the next avatar. When they said it was Roku, it came as much as a shock to him as it did to me. Instead of the elated reaction I expected, Roku was worried and upset, believing he didn't deserve such a power. Hikaru convinced him that such was his fate, and that he should embrace it, as he did his._

_ So when the day came that my friend Roku had to leave the Fire Nation, and face his destiny as the avatar, he did so with all the effort he could. He needed to travel the world, so he could master the other elements…_

Zuko could almost see the scene playing out between his great-grandfather and Avatar Roku.

* * *

Sozin and Hikaru walked over to Roku's room, finding the recently-named avatar sitting on his bed with a solemn expression on his face, but they didn't notice. They were excited for their friend.

"Hey, why aren't you packed yet, all powerful avatar?" Hikaru asked, leaning against the door frame. Roku didn't respond, and the two friends took notice of how depressed he seemed. Hikaru shared a worried glance with Sozin, who walked further into the room.

"Come on!" He said, jumping in front of him, "Show me how it's done using all four kinds of bending!" He started imitating air bending, then water bending, then earth bending, then fire bending, giving Roku a wide smile once he was finished. Roku didn't return the smile.

"I started packing," He said, "But then the Fire Sages told me I won't need any _worldly possessions_ anymore." Sozin brought his hands down, and Hikaru walked over to him.

"Oh. That stinks." He said, sitting on one side of him. Sozin did the same, sitting on his other side.

"It all happened so fast." Roku said, "Everything's going to be different now." Sozin and Hikaru were quiet, unsure of what to say to try and cheer up their friend. Sozin reached up suddenly, and removed his hairpiece from his topknot.

"Here," He said, holding it out to him, "I hope you're at least allowed to have this."

Roku and Hikaru looked at it in surprise, "But… this is a royal artifact." Roku said, "It's supposed to be worn by the crown prince."

"I want you to have it." Sozin said. Roku smiled at his friend's gift and accepted it, putting it over his topknot and pushing in the pin to hold it in place. Roku and Sozin stood up, bowing to each other.

"You shouldn't be so upset about this in the first place, Roku." Hikaru said as he stood up from the bed, "You're going to travel the world. You're going to learn all different kinds of bending, and experience so many different cultures! I wish I was as lucky as you. I'd give anything to get out of here. Visit the Shinjun Homeland in the Earth Kingdom, you know?"

"Well, why don't you come with me?" Roku said, "Fang can carry two, and I wouldn't mind some company." Hikaru looked at him with wide eyes, then looked at Sozin, then back at Roku.

"Are you serious?" He asked with a surprised laugh, "I mean- Is that even allowed?"

"Well, I don't think the sages will mind." Roku said with a grin.

Hikaru smiled widely, and he jumped into the air, shouting "AWESOME!" He went to Roku and pulled him into a brotherly embrace. Sozin smiled at the sight.

* * *

Kotaro, Sokka, Katara, and Toph all looked at Aang strangely as, while he was still in meditation, he turned around, squatting. He grunted, making a pained expression on his face, and then he relaxed with a smile.

"Do they have bathrooms in the Spirit World?" Katara asked, wondering if Aang had just done something to his pants that he shouldn't have.

"As a matter of fact, they do not." Sokka said. Kotaro quirked an eyebrow at him.

"How would you know?" He asked him.

"I've been there before." Sokka said, Kotaro snorted in laughter.

"_Yeah_, and I'm Cao-Gaioju, spirit of the southern mountains." He replied sarcastically.

"I really did go there!" Sokka said, his voice rising as he defended his words, "A crazy forest spirit kidnapped me and trapped me there! Along with like, twenty other people!"

"Uh-huh. _Sure_ it did." Kotaro said, turning and walking away.

"It's true!" Sokka said, "Katara, tell him it's true!" Katara shrugged, unsure of what to say to Kotaro, as he was already out of ear-shot.

* * *

Aang looked out over the scenery as he rode on the back of Fang, Roku's dragon. He smiled as he recognized where they were going.

"Hey! We're almost to the Southern Air Temple!" He said happily.

"This was the first stop on my avatar journey." Roku said, bringing them over to a take-off area where Roku and five other air bending students were standing with their gliders. "It was the place where I was trained to master air bending." Aang watched as Roku used some small amount of air bending to make his hair flow in front of another student's face with a grin. "And also where I met an old friend of yours, monk Gyatso." The student blew his hair back at him, and Roku elbowed him in response.

"No way!" Aang exclaimed, he looked to see leaning against the cliff side of the area was Hikaru, wearing some borrowed robes from the temple. The students all took off at the command of the monk watching them, and they took their gliders to the air, flying high in the sky. As they flew, Roku called out to his friend.

"Hey, Gyatso! Wanna see a new glider trick?" Roku performed a loop-de-loop with the glider he used.

Gyatso laughed when he saw it, "Check this out!" He said, he flipped his glider over and stood on it, keeping his balance as he flew back and forth.

"He's air-surfing!" Aang said in delight, "I can't believe I never thought of that!" He watched as Gyatso lost his footing on his glider and fell. Roku quickly came to his rescue and carried him on the back of his glider as they flew back to the take-off point they had started from, where all the other students had already gone. Roku found that, with the extra weight, he couldn't land, and he ended up crashing into the other students, Hikaru, and the teacher. When he moved to get up, Gyatso saw that Roku's hair had gotten in his face, and he used a powerful gust of air bending to blow it back before sitting up.

"That's amazing!" Aang said, "I can't believe you were friends with monk Gyatso, just like I was!"

"Some friendships are so strong," Roku said, "They can even transcend lifetimes." Aang looked at where Hikaru had just gotten up, and kicked down the Roku that had knocked him over with a grin, only for all three of them to be lectured by the monk watching over them a second later.

"Just like with Hoshiko." Aang said, "I can't believe you were friends with her ancestor." At the mention of his Shinjun friend, Aang got a little depressed. Roku noticed it right away.

"Hoshiko still lives, Aang." He said, "But not in the way she would desire."

Aang looked at him oddly, "What do you mean?" He remembered what Kotaro had said to him a few days ago, about the _ni-nins_ of shadow benders, "Wait, do you mean that… Kagemi is the one in control of her body right now?" Roku nodded, a grim expression on his face.

"And if you and your friends do not intervene," He said, "That's how she may stay." Aang's eyes widened.

"How do I stop it?" He asked, Roku shook his head.

"Only Hoshiko could tell you that." He said, "I don't know the answer." Aang's head hung sadly at the mention of it, "But you can help her, as I did Hikaru, so long ago." Aang's head shot up at his words, "It happened only a few days after this event." Time suddenly moved faster as Roku moved Fang up higher until they were at the entrance to the air bending temple. Aang watched as dozens of air bending masters were trying to fight off a deranged-looking Hikaru. He was smiling in a way that sent chills down Aang's spine. He saw that Hikaru's eyes were black, his pupils a bright white. He easily used shadow bending to knock away every air bender that came to him, almost sending them over the cliff.

He laughed maniacally, his clawed hands seeming to be sharper than they were before. Roku and some of the other students were kept far away from him as he kept attacking. Roku looked down at him with wide eyes, unable to believe that this was his friend slicing away at the other air benders. He couldn't take watching it any longer, and he jumped down to where he was and grabbed his arms, preventing him from bending anymore. The _ni-nin_ of Hikaru let out a stream of curses at him as he was restrained.

"Hikaru, snap out of it!" Roku said to him, "You're stronger than this! I know you are!" Hikaru said nothing, only letting out feral growls as he tried to break free. "Come on! Fight it!" Hikaru paused as strange cracks suddenly appeared under his eyes. They slowly grew larger, the crack's ends becoming white tipped as they moved further down his body. Roku looked at him in surprise and stepped back. The cracks grew larger and Hikaru tried to move them away with shadow bending but found that the more he took away, the more that grew back until it completely covered his body. Roku shielded his eyes as a bright light came from the cracks and overtook his form. A moment later, Roku looked at Hikaru's body, seeing that it was black of any cracks, and he lay unconscious on the ground. He went over to him, trying to wake him up, and Hikaru eventually did, his green eyes in place of the darkened ones. The second he realized what had happened, he jumped up, and began quickly apologizing to Roku, to the monks, to everyone, saying how sorry he was that he let 'it' take over him.

Aang watched the scene with wide eyes, "Hikaru was strong enough to fend off the _ni-nin_ when it began to control him for only a few moments. Hoshiko has let her other half be in control for many days, and she has not overcome it." Roku said, "But, with time, I can only hope that she can defeat it."

"Me, too…" Aang murmured.

"Come," Roku said, having Fang fly up in the air and over to another place, "We have much more to see." He watched as Roku flew him to the Northern Water Tribe, "After my years master air bending, I traveled to the Northern Water Tribe. Water bending was especially challenging for me, but in time, I mastered it as well." He watched as Roku went up against one of the masters and used water bending to knock the teacher back with a powerful wave. Hikaru let out a laugh when he saw the master lying against the snowy wall outside the training grounds.

They went off again, to a place in the northern earth kingdom, "I moved on to the Earth Kingdom." Aang watched as Roku competed in a race between him and another man, both of them sliding on rocks up a large hill, "My earth bending master, Sud, was uncompromising, stubborn, and blunt." The two of them got lost in the trees up the hill, "And a life-long friend." Sud raced up to the top of the hill, raising his arms up in victory when he reached the top. He stopped, and his mouth gaped open when he saw that Roku was already there, pouring him a cup of tea casually. He smiled as he handed him the cup, and they raised it in a toast, "It was also in the Earth Kingdom that Hikaru met his wife, and Hoshiko's great-grandmother, Akane." Hikaru came over to them, an orange-haired tiger Shinjun, with a pair of bright blue eyes, and orange and black-striped fur beside him. Roku and Sud smiled at them and offered them both a cup of tea. "It was bitter work, but the results were worth it."

* * *

Zuko moved more of the scroll to keep reading the words of his great-grandfather.

_It was twelve long years before I saw my friend again. When Roku returned, he was a fully-realized avatar, and Hikaru had returned home with his wife, Akane. And I had changed as well._

Once more, the scene played out in front of Zuko. He could see Roku walking through the throne room, with the Shinjun Hikaru just behind him, and his wife beside him.

"Sozin!" Roku said happily, "Or should I say 'Fire Lord'?"

"Customarily, my subjects bow before greeting me." Sozin said, his tone stiff. Roku and Hikaru paused, unsure of what to do as he walked off of his throne towards them. He smiled when he reached them, "But you two are the exception." They returned his smile and shared an embrace.

Aang watched the scene from the side as Hikaru introduced his wife to Sozin.

"After all these years," Roku said, "He was still my best friend." The scene changed again to a wedding, "And a few months later, he was my best man." Roku stood at the altar, beside him was the face of the young woman who had had a crush on when he was a teenager. Sozin had been the one to bring them together in marriage, and the ceremony had just ended. Roku lifted up the veil of his bride, and she smiled at him.

"Roku, it's that girl who didn't even know you were alive!" Aang exclaimed, looking at her as she and Roku turned to face the crowd of people who had come, all of them cheering for the newlyweds.

"Ta-win," Roku said, "I was persistent. When love is real, it finds a way." He smiled, "And being the avatar doesn't hurt your chances with the ladies, either." Aang grinned at his words.

* * *

Zuko moved through more of the scroll, glancing up at where Kagemi was. He saw that she was hanging upside down from one of the shelves, lazily reading one of the scrolls, seeming to try and force herself to read it because she was so incredibly bored. He didn't say anything to her, and went back to reading the last testament before him.

_On wedding days, we look to the future with optimism and joy. I had my own vision for a brighter future._

* * *

Sozin went over to Ta-win during the reception, "Excuse me," He leaned down and asked softly, "May I borrow him for a minute?"

"Well, it's not very traditional, but… okay." She said, Sozin smiled at Roku and he led him away, coincidentally where Hikaru and his wife were speaking, having a private moment with each other. When he saw his two friends coming by, he excused himself, kissing his wife's cheek and rubbing her swollen belly before going over to see them.

"Roku!" He said happily, "Congratulations, my friend!" Roku smiled at him.

"Thanks Hikaru." He said, "I'm glad you could make it."

"So was I," Hikaru said, "But, the baby won't be coming for some time now, so Akane and I came. I'm glad I did, it was a beautiful ceremony."

Sozin cleared his throat, getting their attention, and they both looked to him.

"Sorry, Sozin." Roku said, "What's on your mind?"

"I've been thinking hard about the state of the world lately…" Sozin began, Hikaru rolled his eyes and came over to him, putting his hand on his shoulder.

"Sozin, come on!" He said to him, "It's Roku's wedding day! Have a cookie! Dance with someone! Lighten up!"

Sozin lightly shoved him off, "I know, I know, but," He turned to Roku, "Just hear me out." Roku nodded, showing him that Sozin had his full attention, so he continued, "Right from the start, I was destined to be Fire Lord, and although we didn't always know it, you were destined to be the avatar. It's an amazing stroke of fate that we know each other so well, isn't it? Together we could do… anything!" Roku frowned at his tone of voice.

"Yeah… we _could_." He said.

"Our nation is enjoying an unprecedented time of peace and wealth." Sozin continued, "Our people are happy, and we're so fortunate in so many ways."

"Where are you going with this?" Roku asked.

"I've been thinking…" Sozin began, "We should share this prosperity with the rest of the world! In our hands is the greatest empire in history, it's time we _expanded_ it!"

"Sozin, no!" Hikaru said quickly, "The four nations are meant to be just that! _Four_! You don't need to expand this empire any more than you already have! If we're enjoying a time of peace, then let's _keep_ it that way!"

"I didn't ask you." Sozin snapped at him coldly.

"I agree with Hikaru." Roku said, "A war is just unnecessary, especially during a time of peace and prosperity."

"Roku, you haven't even stopped to consider the possibilities!" Sozin said, trying to get him to warm up to his idea.

"There are _no_ possibilities." Roku said firmly, "This is the last I want to hear about this." Roku put his hand on Hikaru's shoulder and directed him away from Sozin and back to the wedding, where both their wives waited.

_While I didn't have Roku's support, I still went ahead with my plans. I invaded and occupied a coastal Earth Kingdom village. When Roku discovered it, he came to me, saying that I had no right to occupy Earth Kingdom territory. I told him that his loyalty was to his nation first, and nothing else, if not, he was a traitor. I challenged him, and I lost. At the end of it, Roku spared my life in the honor of our past friendship, which had long since dwindled since the day we spoke at his wedding._

_ I didn't see him again for well over twenty years. It was late one night, when I was awoken by a strange quaking in the ground. I went to investigate, and in the distance, I saw the island where my old friend lived with his wife and children. I could see that the volcano on the island was erupting for the first time in well over two hundred years. Roku's island was a hundred miles away, but I could still feel it rumbling, and see the black plume of smoke. I had never seen anything like this catastrophe. I couldn't help but think of my old friend, and how he must have been battling to save his island with all his strength._

_ In my memories of him, rested my memories of our friendship. My mind set, I went out to my dragon and mounted it, flying over to the island on his back. I arrived when Roku seemed to have settled the first volcano, and just as the second one started its eruption._

"Need a hand old friend?" Sozin asked as he went over to where he was. Roku turned around in surprise.

"_Sozin?_!" Roku exclaimed in surprise.

"There's not a moment to lose." Sozin said, he reached out his hand to the aged avatar, and he took it, climbing onto the back of Sozin's back and they flew over to the smaller, still erupting volcano. Roku used a combination of earth and fire bending to push the lava down to a manageable level while Sozin used fire bending to take the core of the heat of the lava away from it, hardening the lava into stone. A lightning bolt struck nearby, and the earth underneath Sozin's feet broke. He let out a shout as he began to fall, and Roku used earth bending, making some rock shoot out beneath his feet, letting him gain some balance. Sozin looked to his friend, nodding in thanks, and Roku opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by the rumbling of the volcano. He and Sozin both leapt away, running down the side of the volcano to get to safety, as they ran, geysers of black gas shot out of the ground.

"Don't breathe the toxic gas!" Roku shouted to him, he started using air bending to move the gas away from him and Sozin as they ran. Sozin kept his sleeve above his nose and mouth, and Roku did the same, but it wasn't much good, for as he stepped on one piece of ground, the toxic gas shot up into his face. He stepped away, coughing and choking on it. He had breathed in such a large amount of the gas, he was unable to focus his eyes, and he felt as if he could barely breathe at all, "It's… too much…!" He fell to his knees, trying to regain his breath. He looked up at Sozin and held out his hand, "Please…"

Sozin didn't reach for him, "Without you… all of my plans are suddenly possible." Roku looked at him with wide eyes, "I have a vision for the future, Roku." He waved his hand, and his dragon came to him. He hopped up on his back, sparing one last look at Roku, whose face had twisted into a fierce mixture of incredulity, shock, fear, and pure, unadulterated _hatred_. Sozin rode off into the night on his dragon, leaving Roku on the volcano to die.

As Roku coughed and convulsed, he heard a rumbling, and looked to see a huge wave of volcanic ash was rolling down the side of the volcano. He heard a loud screech, and he looked up to see his dragon, Fang, calling out to him worriedly. Roku was too exhausted to speak any words of comfort to him. He knew these were his last moments. Fang, not wanting to leave his side, not even at the end, flew to him and wrapped his snake-like body around him in a protective circle, even though they both knew it wouldn't do any good.

As the ash covered them, Roku breathed his last. There was a bright flash of light, and Aang and Roku watched as a little, brown haired boy was brought up in the hands of one of the air bending masters.

"Who's…? Oh." Aang smiled when he realized who it was, "That's me, isn't it?"

"Make sense of our past, Aang." Roku said to him, "And you will bring peace, and restore balance to the world." Roku's form faded away, and Aang looked at where he had been.

"Roku?" He called out for him, "Roku?" He walked into whiteness, before suddenly finding himself at Roku's island, just as the moon began to rise into the middle of the sky, signalizing that it was midnight, and that the summer solstice had ended.

* * *

_With Roku gone, and the Great Comet returning, the timing was perfect to change the world. I knew the next avatar would be born an air nomad, so I wiped out the Air Temples. But, somehow, the new avatar eluded me. I wasted the remainder of my life searching in vain. I know he's hiding out there. Somewhere. The Fire Nation's greatest threat. The last Air Bender._

Zuko looked onto the next part of the paper, and saw that it was blank. His eyes widened and he pulled out more of the scroll "That can't be it." He pulled out even more of the scroll to find only blank paper, "Where's the rest of it?" He looked on the underside, and found nothing. He let out a huff in frustration and put the paper down. He looked over at Kagemi, who was looking at him with an expectant face.

"Can we go now?" She asked him, "I'm so bored of this place."

* * *

Kagemi followed Zuko as he took a direct route to the Fire Nation prison from the Dragon Bone Catacombs. He went straight to his uncle's cell, Kagemi with him. She slammed the door behind them as they came inside. In Zuko's hands, he grasped the scroll that bore the message he had been sent not one day ago.

"You sent this, didn't you?" He demanded of the old man as he stormed into his cell, holding up the scroll, "I found the 'secret history'. Which, by the way, should be re-named 'the history most people already know'!" He slammed the scroll down on the floor, "The note said that I needed to know about my great-grandfather's death, but he was still alive in the end!"

"No…" Iroh said, speaking the first words to his nephew since he had been imprisoned, "He wasn't."

"What are you talking about?" Zuko asked, his voice much softer than it had been before, so struck was he by his uncle's voice speaking to him.

"You have more than one great-grandfather, Prince Zuko." Iroh said, "Sozin was your father's grandfather. Your _mother's_ grandfather was Avatar Roku." Zuko's eyes went wide. His great-grandfather had been the avatar before Aang? Kagemi's eyes were wide as well, not expecting the blood of an avatar to be running through Zuko's veins.

"Why are you telling me this?" Zuko asked.

"Because understanding the struggle between your two great-grandfathers can help you better understand the battle within yourself." Uncle said wisely, Zuko fell to his knees in front of his uncle's cell, his hands threading through his own hair as he tried to think, "Good and evil are always at war inside you, Zuko. It is your nature. Your legacy. But, there _is_ a bright side." Zuko lifted his head at the mention of it. "What happened generations ago, can be resolved now, by _you_. Because of your legacy, you _alone_ can cleanse the sins of our family, and the Fire Nation. Born in you, along with all the strife, is the power to restore balance to the world." Iroh moved to another part of his cell, picking at a brick in the wall, and moving it to reveal a small, hidden chamber, where a wrapped something awaited inside. Iroh pulled it out and pushed the brick back in, "This is a royal artifact." He stood up and walked over to Zuko as he unwrapped it, "It's supposed to be worn by the crown prince." He held out a flame-shaped topknot holder to Zuko, who stood up and reached through the bars of the cell to take it. He looked at it in awe.

"Great, so we came all this way for nothing." Kagemi said with a roll of her eyes. She stood up.

"Oh, and, Kagemi, was it?" She turned around to face the old man with a scowl.

"Yeah, what?" She asked. Iroh gave her a small smile.

"Say hello to Hoshiko for me."

Kagemi's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, then she ran at the door, clawed hands reaching for the old man, who was smart enough to stay away from the door. Kagemi let out a roar as she spoke, "_You better be thankin' the Spirits for these bars you deranged old-!_"

Zuko pushed her away from the door before she could do anything. He grabbed the back of her shirt and dragged her out, which was very difficult to do as she kept struggling, shouting various things at Iroh.

"You better _watch_ yourself! If I ever hear that name come from you again, I'll _take your head off!_" Zuko shut the door before she could do anything more to his uncle.

* * *

Kotaro and the others looked at Aang, having just heard the story of Sozin and Roku (He had intentionally left out the part about Hikaru).

"You mean after all Roku and Sozin went through together," Katara began, "Even after Roku showed him _mercy_, Sozin betrayed him like that?"

"It's like these people are _born_ bad." Toph said.

"No, that's wrong." Aang said, "I don't think that was the point of what Roku showed me at all."

"Then what _was_ the point?" Sokka asked.

"Roku was just as much Fire Nation as Sozin was, right?" Aang asked, "If anything, their story prove that anyone is capable of great good and great evil. Everyone, even the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation, have to be treated like they're worth giving a chance. And I also think it was about friendships."

Toph hung her head slightly as she quietly asked, "Do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?" Kotaro smiled and reached over, taking the hand of the blind earth bender in his.

"I don't see why not." He said, Aang smiled and came over, taking Toph's other hand, Katara reached over and took Kotaro's hand.

"_Well_!" Everyone looked over at Sokka, "Scientifically speaking, there's no way to prove that-"

"Oh, Sokka, just hold hands!" Katara snapped, interrupting him. Sokka didn't seem offended by it as he took his sister's free hand.

* * *

**I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I hope it was worth the wait!**


	31. The Runaway

31

Kotaro sat off to the side, munching on an apple as he watched Aang get ready for his daily dose of training with Katara and Toph. Sokka was hiding around somewhere to bring a sneak attack down on Aang, as per Toph's request. As also another request from the blind earth bender, Aang used his headband as a blindfold.

"Okay, I'm ready for some training!" He said, turning around once it was tied on. He stood still, waiting for someone to make a move. He suddenly began moving along the ground, just as a pillar of earth shot up at where he had previously been. He moved again and again, avoiding more pillars from Toph. Kotaro watched the scene with raised eyebrows, surprised that Aang could avoid them so easily when blindfolded. He stood still for a second, and he easily avoided Katara's water attack towards him, and direct it back at her, and he bent up a small rock and bended it at Toph, who caught it easily.

"Good job, Twinkle Toes." She praised, "Visualize, then attack!" She shot the small boulder back at Aang, who used earth bending to make a hole in the ground for him to avoid it. The rock went sailing over his head and hit Katara in the stomach, making her fall on the ground. She glared at Toph and stood up.

"Maybe you should take your own advice, Toph." She suggested with a bite.

"What's the matter?" Toph asked as Aang moved back out of the ground, "Can't handle a little dirt, _Madam Fussy Britches_?"

Katara looked at her incredulously, then glared at her. She raised up her arms, making a huge wave of water come from the nearby creek, having it sail harmlessly over her and Aang, but soak Toph in it. Toph scowled when she felt the water fall over her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Katara said, "Did I splash you, _Mud Slug_?" Toph clenched her fists and her teeth, and made a small platform of earth, having it take her over to where Katara was. In return, she made her own platform of ice, making it take her to Toph. Aang, unsure of what was happening, tried to defend himself that wasn't coming to him. The two platforms the girls had made collided, sending them both back off them onto the ground. Aang released himself from his defensive position.

"…Are we taking a break?" He asked, not receiving an answer from either of his teachers. Kotaro looked off to the side as he saw Sokka poke his head out of his hiding place. He let out a war cry as he ran out of it, holding up his hand as a weapon.

"HAAAAAH! SNEAK ATTACK!"

Kotaro smacked his forehead at Sokka's stupidity as Aang brought up a pillar of earth that he quickly slammed into. He turned around with a grin, removing his blindfold as he said, "Sokka, sneak attacks don't work if you yell it out loud."

His attention was turned away from where Sokka was picking himself up over to where Toph and Katara were wrestling in the mud.

"_Cat fight_!" Kotaro shouted in the kind of delight only a man could experience in two girls wrestling each other. He jumped down from where he had been spectating to get a closer look at where the two girls were.

"Hungry for a mud pie?" Toph asked before kicking up some mud in Katara's face. She let out a squeal of anger and stepped back, wiping the mud away from her eyes. She scowled at Toph.

"I'll give _you_ a mud pie!" She growled. She used her water bending to take up some of the mud and threw it at Toph. She quickly fought back, solidifying the mud so it would be like a piston and shoot Katara up into the air. She fell back against a small hill, and she glared at Toph as she started running at her, ready to deliver another blow, but Aang spoke up before she could land it.

"Uh… guys?" They both stopped, "I thought we were supposed to be training _me_."

The two girls shared a glance before Katara straightened herself up and Toph put her fists down.

"Very well, Pupil," Katara said, "I believe we've had enough training for today." She walked through the mud, trying to get it out of her long hair as she went to go and wash herself up.

"While Katara cleans up…" Toph said, pausing to earth bend all the mud off her clothes, "Let's go have some _fun_!" She walked over to the boys, who smiled at the idea of having fun.

* * *

Their journey for something to do brought them to the nearby town. They had some money, which they had used to treat themselves to a nice lunch and get a small knife for Kotaro, in case something should ever happen to his bending. As they walked through the town, many messenger hawks flew over their heads, going to a small carrier's building. Apparently, the town was a huge center for the hawks, and used as a resting area.

"Look at all those messenger hawks!" Sokka said when he saw them, "You know, I've been thinking about getting one for myself. That way, I wouldn't have to talk to anyone! I could just send them messages!"

"I gotta say, I like the idea of not talking to you." Toph said. Sokka scowled at her words.

"So, guys," Aang said quickly before another fight would be started between Toph and Sokka, "What are we gonna get with our last silver piece?" He held up the piece in question.

As they walked, Toph paused, while the boys kept walking, "We can get more money." She said. The boys looked back at Toph questioningly, and she pointed down into an empty water reservoir where a small group of people had gathered, "Right there." They all looked over the edge to see it was a small gambling game. A man sat behind a small crate, moving around three shells with a small green rock underneath. Behind him, and around him, were sacks of silver pieces.

Deciding they had nothing better to do, they all headed down to where the game was taking place, moving in with the crowd as they watched a man betting his last silver piece in the game.

"You expect us to win this?" Kotaro asked her quietly, "Hardly anyone ever does. This guy's trained himself to hustle every person that comes to try it."

"Now, see," Toph began, "This is where you 'seeing' people are at a disadvantage. Everyone guesses wrong because the dealer moves the rock at the last minute, but _I_ can feel it with my earth bending." They watched as the man playing the game pointed to one of the shells, hoping for the small pebble to be underneath, but it wasn't, and the dealer shook his head in fake sympathy. The man got up, shoulders slumped in depression. Kotaro looked after him pitifully, guessing that he had bet the last of his money in a desperate attempt to win.

The dealer's eyes traveled amongst the people who had come to watch, looking for his next victim. His eyes rested on Toph, whose milky blind eyes caught his attention and he smirked, thinking easy prey.

"You there!" He called to her, "Wanna play a friendly game?"

"How could I possibly play?" Toph asked, feigning innocence, "I'm blind." She waved her hand in front of her face to prove her point.

"You don't have to see to be lucky." The dealer replied. Toph, taking his 'bait' (Or him taking hers, if you prefer), got down on her hands and knees, pretending to feel her way around the ground, when her hands touched the shells, she sat in front of the crate, pulling out their last silver piece and placing it on the crate to bet. The dealer smirked and began the game, showing her where the pebble was, and then began to move the shells around. Toph felt him sneak two other pebbles underneath the shells, and she let the flicker of a smirk come on her face realizing that no matter what shell she chose, she would win, so she didn't really need to pay attention to what rock was where. When he was done, she pointed to the shell on the far left, and he lifted it up to reveal the pebble underneath.

"Flamio, Toph." Aang praised as the dealer tossed two silver pieces on the crate to join the one she bet.

"Wow, fancy guessing." The dealer complimented, "You are amazing at this! Would you like to make the game a little more interesting?"

"More interesting? How?" Toph asked in an innocent tone of voice.

"Well, let's say you toss in your Shinjun slave there," He pointed at Kotaro, who looked at him with wide eyes, "Then I'll put up twenty silver pieces against him, and that's more interesting." Kotaro instantly voiced his protests against it to Toph.

"I swear to the Gods above, if you bet me in this stupid game-!" He was interrupted when Toph yanked him down by his collar so he would sit beside her.

"I'll do it for forty silver pieces." She told the dealer.

"_Toph!_" Kotaro exclaimed loudly, unable to believe she was betting him.

"Forty silver pieces it is." The dealer said with a grin, adding the pieces. A second later the game began, and the dealer began moving around the shells in a very fast manner. Aang, Sokka, and Kotaro couldn't keep up with his fast moving hands, and didn't even notice as he slipped two of the pebbles into his sleeves, and just as he was about to slip in the third, Toph inconspicuously used her earth bending to keep it under the shell. Once it was over, the dealer looked at Toph smugly, and she pointed at the shell in the middle. "Sorry, little lady, but- GAH_?_!" He stopped when he saw the rock was underneath the shell.

"I won!" Toph cheered happily, quickly, she grabbed the silver pieces and Sokka yanked Kotaro up and they all dashed off as quickly as they could to avoid the dealer accusing them of cheating.

Once they were out of ear-shot of the dealer and anyone else there, Kotaro turned to Toph with a glare, "Never. Bet. Me. Again."

"Aw, lighten up, Wolfy." Toph said, she dug into the bag and pulled out a handful of the silver pieces they had won and gave them to him, "Here, does that make it better?" Kotaro still glared at her.

"It hurts that you would think of me as something to bet in a game." He said, pocketing the money, "But I'm keeping this money anyway."

* * *

After splurging a little at the market place for groceries, everyone headed back to camp. Sokka made a joke about the dealer, imitating the way he looked when he saw that the rock was still under the shell, everyone laughed at his spot-on mimicry as they approached where Katara was making dinner with the last of their food. They all put down the baskets of groceries in front of her and she looked up at them.

"Where did you guys get the money to buy all this stuff?" Katara asked, a little concerned about the means of which they got it.

"Toph got us money." Aang said, munching on an apple they had bought, "She scammed one of those guys in town that moves the shells around all sneaky-like."

"She used earth bending to win the game. _Classic_!" Sokka said, taking a seat beside Aang as Kotaro went over to Appa, resting by one of his paws.

"Ah. So she cheated." Katara said, giving Toph a pointed glare.

"Hey, I only cheated because _he_ was cheating." She said, "I cheated a cheater. What's wrong with that?"

"I'm just saying, this isn't something we should make a habit of doing." Katara said.

"I'm with her." Kotaro said, "If you're gonna bet me in every game, count me out." Katara looked at him in shock, and then looked back at Toph.

"_You bet Kotaro?_!" She exclaimed, "Toph, I can't believe you! It's one thing to bet money, but to bet a friend?"

"Jeez, calm down." Toph said, "I bet him because I knew I was gonna win. If you're gonna get _that_ worked up about it, I won't do it again."

"Toph, the last thing you should be doing while we're here is gambling!" Katara said.

"Why?" Toph asked, "Because it's fun? And you _hate_ fun?"

"I don't hate fun!" Katara said, she reached for Momo and put him on top of her head, "See? Fun!" Momo slid off her head with a displeased growl, and with a few angry squeaks at Katara, went over to Kotaro and sat in his lap. He didn't mind.

Aang stood up, moving his headband to show his arrow tattoo on his forehead, "Katara, I'll personally make you an avatar's promise that we won't make a habit of doing these scams." He bowed before her, and Katara nodded, trusting him.

* * *

"Hey, Kotaro!" The Shinjun in question looked up. On his shoulder rested a small towel and a bar of soap rested in his hands, and he looked over to see Aang and Sokka calling to him, "We're going into town with Toph again. Wanna come?"

"Uh… I was just about to go take a bath." Kotaro said, "You guys can go without me, but if you're gonna get more food, can you grab some moon peaches?"

"Sure thing!" Sokka said, "See you!" Kotaro waved goodbye to them and headed down to the stream to bathe.

When he reached the riverbank, he stripped himself of his clothes and went in. He shivered a little when he felt the cold water, but he went in anyway, grabbing the bar of soap and washing himself with it. In the small stream, he only heard the flowing of the water in the quiet of the morning. In that quiet, he was left alone with his thoughts, so his mind wandered to the one subject they had been focused on for years.

Hoshiko.

His mind had always been on her, even before they were reunited at the encampment near Ba-Sing-Se. He missed her. More than he thought he could. When they were separated after slavery, he thought it wasn't possible to miss someone more than he had. After Ba-Sing-Se, the pain he felt in his chest still remained. The hole where Hoshiko's half had been was still there. He'd managed to smile through the pain, behaving normally with Aang and the others, but he still wished she was by his side. He didn't even know what had happened to her, but he hoped that, if Kagemi really was in charge, and she really was alive, there was a chance to get Hoshiko back.

He sighed, closing his eyes. He wasn't sure if he should be hoping anymore. Even if there was the chance that she was alive, how would he get Hoshiko back? He didn't know how _ni-nin_ worked, or how a shadow bender survived with them, but somehow, they did.

His mind began to travel back into his memories, remembering the first time he had ever had the misfortune to meet Kagemi, before she even gave herself a name.

It had been a perfectly normal day, until Hoshiko accidentally got hit in the head with a rock from a group of kids that had been trying to knock birds out of the sky with them. She had been acting strangely all week, and at first, Kotaro didn't know why, but once she got hit, he saw something change.

Hoshiko's eyes changed color, her irises and pupils becoming white and the rest of her eyes becoming a deep black. She suddenly started attacking the kids who had thrown the rock, and Kotaro tried to stop her, but she turned around with a fierce snarl and used her shadow bending against him. He was fast, and avoided the brunt of her attacks, but one of them was faster than he was, and left a scar above his eyebrow, and just underneath his eye. Had her parents not come to stop her, things would have become much worse. Afterwards, once Hoshiko was back to normal, she ran to Kotaro, seeing that he had been scarred, and she apologized to him again and again, sobbing as she spoke.

Her father explained to them the nature of a _ni-nin_, since he was a shadow bender as well, and was still being tormented with his own. He had said to Kotaro that, should she ever become that way again, to do whatever he could to stop her. He had never forgotten that day.

He shook his head of the memories.

"I'm depressing myself." He muttered quietly. He grabbed his towel and dried himself off before putting on his clothes, which were basically the same clothes he had always worn, just with more of a red tint to them to fit Fire Nation style.

He went back up, humming a tune as he headed back to camp, seeing that Katara was the only one there.

"Is everyone still in town?" He asked her as he put his things away.

"Yeah," She said, "I hope they didn't decide to go scamming again…"

"Well, who knows?" Kotaro asked as he lay down against the grass, letting the sun shine on him, warming him up from the cold water of the river, "We'll know when they come back." He smiled, becoming comfortable in the light of the summer sun, "I think I'll take a nap. Wake me when they come back." Katara nodded and Kotaro closed his eyes, drifting off.

* * *

_He was standing in a vast realm, but where, he wasn't sure, he could only see a huge blackness. There was no sign of any land except for the fact that he was standing still. He heard the soft sound of someone crying and turned in the direction of it. In the distance, he saw someone being held up, bound by their wrists in the air by chains. He started going over to whoever it was, and as he got closer, he recognized the dark head of hair, and the ears and tail of the girl that was hanging there. It was Hoshiko, and she was in terrible pain. He could see where her wrists had been rubbed raw from the chains, making her skin redden and bleed. He ran faster, wanting to help her, to take her body away from the chains. He even called out to her to try and calm her down._

_ "Hang on, Hoshiko! I'm coming!" He said. He smiled once he reached the place where she was bound, "Don't worry, I'll get you out of this." She didn't respond, and Kotaro frowned worriedly. He reached up and touched her shoulder, "Hey, Hoshiko." She lifted her head, and his eyes became wide at what he saw._

_ "Oh, __**hey**__ Kotaro." Kagemi's voiced hissed out of her, her dark eyes glaring at him while she had a maniacal smile on her face, "Long time, no see!" Kotaro stepped back from her as the chains that were supposedly keeping her bound suddenly began to disappear into the blackness._

_ "Where's Hoshiko?" He demanded._

_ "Can't you tell?" Kagemi asked, stepping to the side, showing where Hoshiko was completely bound, chains holding her in a crouched position on the ground. "There she is."_

_ "Hoshiko!" Kotaro started to run to her, but Kagemi stopped him with her bending. She used the shadows to bind his form to the ground. He glared at her, seeing that her body was now completely covered in shadows, the only distinction of a face being the two white pupils and irises she had. She opened her mouth with a wide grin, showing rows of incredibly sharp teeth. She walked over to where Hoshiko was, reaching down and lifting her face so she could see Kotaro. Her eyes flooded with tears that spilled down her cheeks._

_ "Kota…" Her voice was weak, and he could barely hear her call his name. Kagemi stood up and raised her hand, a sharp strand of shadow suddenly showing up behind Hoshiko's head. Kotaro's eyes widened in fear when he saw what she was about to do._

_ "__**No**__! No, don't you dare! __**Kagemi!**__" He shouted, struggling in his bonds to try and get free. Kagemi only let out a maniacal laugh as she swiftly brought her hand down, bringing down the edge of the razor tipped shadow on Hoshiko's head._

* * *

"No!" Kotaro jumped awake with a shout, covered in a cold sweat and breathing harshly. He looked to the side and saw Katara was looking at him with wide eyes.

"Everyone else is here…" She said quietly, a little surprised at his reaction to being awoken. Kotaro nodded, standing up, wiping away his sweat on the back of his hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Katara." He said, "Just a bad dream." He went over to where Aang, Sokka, and Toph were coming back, showing him all the money they had gotten from scamming others.

* * *

The next day, everyone was relaxing, Toph, Sokka, and Aang counting up all the money they had managed to get in a single day. Kotaro was near them, looking at the sheer amount of silver pieces, along with the occasional gold and copper piece of Fire Nation currency. Katara came up to them.

"Guys, I think these scams have gone far enough." Katara said, "If you keep doing them, something bad is gonna happen."

"Could you for _once_ stop being such a sourpuss and lighten up?" Toph asked, tossing her a silver piece.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Katara began, "You think I should be more like you? Like some _wild child_?" She threw the silver piece to the ground.

"Um, _yeah_! Maybe!" Toph said, "Maybe then you'd see how great we have it! I mean, look at us! We're travelling around the world, making easy money, having fun, with _no parents_ to tell us what to do!" She leaned back against a rock, linking her fingers together behind her head and crossing her ankles in a relaxed position. Katara let a sly smirk come on her face.

"_Ah_, I see." Katara said, "You're acting like this because of your _parents_."

"Whatever." Toph said.

"What?" Kotaro asked, not knowing Toph's backstory.

"They were controlling over you, so you ran away," Katara said, "And now, you act like your parents don't exist! You _act_ like you hate them, but you don't. You just feel guilty."

"I _do_ hate them." Toph said with a scowl.

"I don't think so." Katara said, "I think you _miss_ them, but you just don't want to deal with that. So, instead, you just act like this crazy person." Toph's face contorted into one of anger and she stood up.

"Look, I ran away to help Aang!" She said.

"You know what? It doesn't matter." Katara said, "These scams put us all at risk, and we don't need that. We've already got some third-eyed freak after us!"

"She _does_ make a good point, Toph." Kotaro said.

"Speaking of that 'third-eyed freak,'" Sokka began, "I think I've come up with a name for him. What do you think of _'Sparky-Sparky Boom Man'_?" Everyone looked at him oddly at his name choice. "…Just think about it."

"We have enough money!" Katara said, "You need to stop this!"

"I'll stop when I wanna stop and not when you tell me!" Toph shouted, she stomped her foot and used earth bending to bring up a sack of silver pieces and she stormed away, making an earth tent to give herself some privacy.

"Speaking of money, I'm off to spend some." Sokka said, getting up, "Anyone wanna come with?"

"I'm good." Aang said.

"I'll come." Kotaro said, "I could use something to do right now." He got up and followed Sokka as they went into town.

* * *

Kotaro shouldn't have been surprised that he went into town and bought a messenger hawk, but he was, a little bit. It was the prime example of the Fire Nation messenger hawk with scarlet feathers and sharp, golden eyes.

"Hawky, welcome to Team Avatar." Sokka said, speaking to it, "My name's Sokka, and I'm your new owner. Now, as such, I should warn you there's already a lemur in our group, so I don't want to see any fighting."

"You're naming it Hawky?" Kotaro asked with a snort.

"Hey, it's my messenger hawk, and I'll do what I want with it!" Sokka said, Kotaro only rolled his eyes in response.

The hawk let out a crow, and Sokka smiled, speaking to it in baby-talk, "Good widdle messenger-hawky. Who's got pretty feaders?" Kotaro let out a small gagging sound, turning his head to the side, but stopped once he saw something on the wall.

"Uh… Sokka?" He looked over at him, and Kotaro pointed to the wanted poster.

It had a crudely drawn picture of Toph at the top and below it read:

WANTED:

THE RUNAWAY

YOUNG GIRL OF TWELVE-THIRTEEN

REWARD OFFERED

CONTACT LOCAL FIRE NATION AUTHORITIES FOR ANY INFORMATION

MUST BE BROUGHT IN ALIVE

Then it went on to give her full description and her various 'crimes'.

The hawk cawed again, flapping its wings as a sign of restlessness. Sokka didn't really see it like that, though as he grabbed the poster off the wall.

"You're right, Hawky." He said, "This is bad."

The hawk only responded by relieving itself. Kotaro jumped out of the way so it wouldn't land on his shoes. "Oh, _gross_!"

"Kotaro, we have to tell Toph about this!" Sokka said. He turned around and started running, the hawk on his shoulder lifting up its wings at the sudden rushing wind to help keep its place on his shoulder.

"Wait up!" Kotaro shouted, running after him.

* * *

When they reached the camp, Aang and Katara were down at the river, practicing water bending. Toph was somewhere near Appa, counting up the money she had scammed from her victims over the past two days.

Sokka and Kotaro approached Toph as she organized Fire Nation gold pieces from silver and copper pieces, being able to tell the difference by weight. "Toph," She looked in his direction as he and Kotaro approached, "When we were in town, we found something that you're not gonna like." He pulled out the poster and showed it to her.

"Well, it _sounds_ like a sheet of paper," Toph said dryly, "But I guess you're referring to what's _on_ the sheet of paper."

"It's wanted poster of _you_!" Kotaro said, snatching the paper and waving it in front of her face, even though she couldn't see it. "You've been named 'the Runaway'."

Toph's face brightened, "A wanted poster_?_! That's so great!" She exclaimed, "_The Runaway_… I _love_ my new nickname! Is there a picture of me? Does it look good?" Kotaro lifted up the poster, looking at the crudely drawn picture of Toph, then at Toph herself, then back at the poster, Sokka doing the same thing as he did.

"No. Actually, it looks really bad." Kotaro said.

"Well, yeah, actually it does look pretty good." Sokka said, at the same time that Kotaro spoke. Kotaro gave him a small glare. "What? I think this picture captures Toph's real nature!"

"Whatever! It doesn't matter!" Kotaro said, rolling up the poster and facing Toph, "You're missing the point. Maybe Katara was right. These scams are drawing too much attention to us."

"Don't be such a worrywart like Katara." Toph said, getting up from where she had been sitting and grabbing a small bag of money. She walked over to the both of them with a smile on her face, "Think of it this way," She held up the money in Sokka's face, "Now you have plenty of money to help with the invasion plan." Sokka smiled a little at the bag. Kotaro elbowed him roughly once he saw it, and the smile disappeared.

"Well, that _is_ true." Sokka said, "I had this idea of making armor for Appa." He looked over at the sleeping bison in question.

"Sokka!" Kotaro exclaimed.

"What? I think it could seriously help with the invasion!" Sokka said.

Toph went through the bag, taking out a few gold temples (A step up from gold pieces in terms of currency) and dropping them in Sokka's hand, "Here's a little something extra so you can get a _nice_ map of the Fire Nation." She paused in thought before saying, "You know what? Make it an atlas." She held out the entire bag to him.

"I _do_ like expensive atlases." Sokka said, taking the bag from her.

"Of course you do." Toph said.

"I can't believe you're encouraging this!" Kotaro snapped at him, Sokka jumped at his tone. "What Toph is doing is putting us all in serious danger!"

"Why do you care so much about this anyway?" Toph asked, "If this is because I bet you on the first scam, I already said I'm-"

"That's not what this is about!" Kotaro snapped at her.

"Then _what_?" Toph asked. Kotaro was about to say something, but stopped, he looked away, shutting his mouth, suddenly much calmer.

"…This journey has really taken its toll." He said quietly, "I just don't want to risk losing anyone else."

"…Else?" Sokka repeated in confusion, "Who'd we-?" He stopped when he realized who Kotaro was talking about. He was afraid that if Toph continued these scams, she would get hurt, and they would lose her just like he lost Hoshiko. He looked at him sadly, understanding his pain of losing the one he loved.

"_Oh_, I get it." Toph said, realizing what Sokka did, "Well, if it means that much to you, Wolfy, I'll lay off the scams for a little while. We can only afford to be in town one more day anyway. I'll stop then, alright?" Kotaro eyed her.

"You swear?" He asked. Toph raised her hand up.

"I swear that once we leave, I'll never do another scam." Toph said, she put her hand down. Kotaro was hesitant, but nodded. He jumped in surprise when Toph took the poster from his hands, "Since _that's_ settled, this little wanted poster is going to stay our little secret. 'Kay?" She tucked the poster underneath a strap of her clothing and walked away to where her things were to hide it from Katara as she and Aang came up the hill. Neither of them were aware of the conversation the two boys had just had with Toph. The only thing they saw was the bird on Sokka's shoulder.

"Sokka, tell me you didn't buy a bird." Katara said in exasperation as Sokka inconspicuously tucked away the bag of money Toph had given him.

"Not _just_ a bird. A _messenger_ bird!" Sokka said with a grin, "Now we can send messages all over the world! Even to Gran Gran!"

"Wow! How does it work?" Aang asked excitedly. Kotaro looked at Sokka, wondering what his answer would be.

Sokka paused, putting his hand to his chin in thought, "Uh… Never actually thought about that." He looked to the bird on his shoulder, "Hawky! Gran Gran! South Pole!" The bird was still for a minute before shaking its head back and forth rapidly, simulating the way of saying 'no'. "I think he gets it."

"You idiot." Kotaro said, "The messenger hawk needs to know the name and scent of the person you're sending the letter to. Or it just needs to know the seal of the family. Of course, with the high-end bird you bought, it probably only knows people in power in the Fire Nation. Good luck teaching it your grandmother's scent when she's _not even here_."

Momo hopped up on Aang's shoulder with an angry yowl, glaring at the bird. He jumped over and started chasing the bird around Sokka's head.

"Hawky! Make nice! Bad Hawky!" Sokka shouted, trying to get the two animals to calm down.

* * *

Kotaro sat down next to Aang as Katara prepared dinner for everyone. Sokka and Toph had gone off earlier, getting in some more scams before they left tomorrow afternoon. Katara used water bending to take up some of the soup and brought it over to Appa, who happily swallowed it. The sound of footsteps made Katara look up and she saw Sokka and Toph carrying sacks of money.

"Well! Look who decided to join us." Katara said, standing up from where she had been cooking. "Where were you two? Off scamming again?"

"Yes, we were." Toph said, putting the sack down.

"And I suppose you don't think what you're doing is dangerous _at all_?" Katara asked, going over to where she was.

"No, I don't." Toph said.

"_Really_?" Katara asked pointedly.

"Yes, _really_." Toph replied.

"Well then," Katara reached into a small back pocket of her dress, pulling out a scroll and unrolling it in front of Toph, "What's _this?_!"

"_I don't know!_" Toph said in exasperation, "I mean, _seriously_! What's _with_ you people_?_! I'm _blind_!" She pulled at the bottoms of her eyelids to make her point to Katara.

"It's a wanted poster of you!" Katara said, "'The Runaway'. Is that what you're called now? Are you proud of this?"

"Where did you get that?" Toph demanded.

"It doesn't matter where I got it, the fact is-" Toph cut Katara off.

"You went through my stuff!" Toph exclaimed angrily, "You had no right!"

"Your stuff was messy, and I was just straightening up, and I happened to stumble across it." Katara said.

"That's a lie!" Toph said angrily, "You're lying, Katara!"

"Fine! It's a lie!" Katara snapped, "But you've been so out of control lately-! I knew something was up! I knew you were hiding something, and you _were_!" She held up the wanted poster to make her point and Toph smacked it out of her hand and started walking around her. "Don't you walk away from me while I'm talking to you!"

"Oh, really, Mom?" Toph asked mockingly, "Or what are you going to do? Send me to my room?"

"I wish I could." Katara replied.

"Well, you can't!" Toph snapped, "Because you're not my mom, and you're not _their_ mom!" She gestured to where Sokka, Aang, and Kotaro all sat down, watching the fight between the two girls. The three shared worried glances about being pulled into the argument.

"I never said I was!" Katara said, surprised that she was saying so.

"No, but you certainly _act_ like it." Toph said. "You think it's your job to boss everyone around, but it's not. You're just a regular kid like the rest of us. So stop acting like you can tell me what to do! I can do whatever I want!"

Katara paused for a moment, "…I don't act that way." She said softly, she turned to her brother and sharply asked, "Sokka, do I act motherly?"

"Hey, I'm staying out of this one." Sokka said, putting his arms up in a surrendering way.

"Kotaro?" Katara turned to him.

"Don't look at me." He said quickly, wanting to stay out of the argument as well. Physical girl fights were interesting to watch and get involved in. Verbal girl fights were another matter entirely.

"What do you think, Aang?" Katara turned to the last one, "Do I act like a mom?"

Aang reached up and rubbed his eye as he spoke, "Well, I-"

"Stop rubbing your eye and speak clearly when you talk!" Katara said, her tone mimicking a scolding mother without realizing it.

"Yes ma'am!" Aang said, quickly straightening up.

"I can't be around you right now!" Toph said, turning and walking away from the group.

"Well I can't be around _you_!" Katara snapped, turning and storming off in the opposite direction.

Once they were gone, the hawk on Sokka's shoulder let out a call and he turned to it, "I know, Hawky. Why can't they just get along?" Kotaro rolled his eyes.

* * *

Later on that day, after they had served themselves dinner (Katara refused to serve Toph any and she stole Kotaro's dinner to eat) Katara and Toph were still angry with each other, and sat at separate parts of their campsite, refusing to even glare in the direction of the other.

The three boys looked between the two girls, wondering when this fight would end.

Suddenly, Sokka was struck with an idea. He turned to the two boys beside him, "Hey, you guys wanna test out my messenger hawk with me? I've got an idea."

"Sure." Aang said.

"Let's hear it." Kotaro said. They leaned close to Sokka so they would be able to hear him speak.

"I'm gonna send a note to Katara, and say it's from Toph, who wants to apologize." Sokka said, "Then everyone will be friends again!" Kotaro frowned at the idea, knowing right away that it wouldn't work. Aang, being the sweet, naïve boy that he was, thought it was a good idea.

"I gotta say, Sokka," Aang complimented, "You continue to impress me with your ideas." Kotaro rolled his eyes.

"Eh, it's a gift." Sokka said with a shrug, trying to act modest.

"It won't work." He said. Sokka scowled at him.

"It can't hurt to try!" Sokka said, "And just for that," He reached down, grabbing a piece of parchment and an ink covered brush that came with his hawk purchase, he handed them to Kotaro, "You get to write the letter. You write, and I'll dictate."

"Fine." Kotaro said, taking the two items and preparing to write.

"Now, put this down," Sokka said, before clearing his throat, "Dear Katara, sorry for everything. Your friend, Toph." Kotaro did as Sokka asked and wrote down his words. When he was done, he handed the letter to Sokka, who rolled it up and stuck it in the holder and had Hawky fly over to Katara. She opened the letter, reading the short message, and then jumped up.

"I know this is from you, Sokka!" She shouted at him, "Toph can't write!" She started ripping up the letter, "_Ugh_! You're all driving me _crazy_!" She stormed off as the hawk flew back to Sokka's side.

"I can't believe we forgot Toph can't write!" Aang said.

"Yep. We're idiots." Sokka said.

"I told you it wouldn't work." Kotaro said.

"You could have said so before!" Sokka said, smacking his shoulder, Kotaro punched him in return.

"I didn't think you were stupid enough to actually do it!" He snapped at him.

"I guess plan B is we send a note to Toph, pretending it's from Katara." Aang said, looking at his two friends.

"I think we're going to run into a similar problem." Sokka said. The hawk that rested on his shoulder let out a small squawk. "Sorry, Hawky, looks like I'm gonna have to do this without your help." He held out the bird to Kotaro, who let it rest on his arm as Sokka got up and went over to Toph, "Come on, we need to talk."

Toph let out a huff of breath, sounding like she didn't want to go with him, but she got up and followed him anyway.

* * *

Toph followed Sokka to a small cliff that looked over the river they had made camp by, not knowing that, underneath the cliff, Katara was trying to calm herself down by taking a bath.

"So, let me guess," She heard Toph say, "You brought me out here to tell me your sister isn't as annoying as I make her out to be?" She saw Toph and Sokka's feet as they sat down over the edge of the small cliff.

"Nah, she's pretty much a pain." Sokka replied. Katara scowled at his words, "She's always gotta be right about everything and she gets all bossy and involved and in your business…"

"Yeah. I don't know how you can deal with it." Toph replied. Katara's scowl deepened. Is that really what they think about her? She was only trying to help them out! What with Toph acting so crazy, she had every right to find out what was going on!

"Actually, in a way, I _rely_ on it." Sokka's words brought her out of her angry thoughts and she looked back at the dangling feet.

"I don't understand." Toph said.

"When our mom died, that was the hardest time in my life." Sokka said, "Our family was a mess. But Katara… She had _so_ much strength. She stepped up and took on so much responsibility. She helped fill the void that was left by our mom."

"…I guess I never thought about that." Toph said softly.

"I'm gonna tell you something crazy." Sokka said, "I never told anyone this before. But… Honestly? I'm not sure I can remember what my mother looked like." Katara looked at her brother's dangling feet with wide eyes. How could he not remember their mother? "It really seems like my whole life, Katara's been the one looking out for me. She's always been the one that's… there. And now, when I try to remember my mom, Katara's is the only face I can picture." Katara felt her eyes fill up with tears and overflow. She missed her mother so much, and she didn't realize how much Sokka missed her. She didn't even think that Sokka would picture her like that, her face as their mother's.

"The truth is… Sometimes, Katara _does_ act motherly." Toph said, "But that's not always a bad thing. She's compassionate, and kind, and… she cares about me." She heard Toph sniff a little, "Y'know… the _real_ me. That's more than my own mom." Katara sunk into the water to just below her nose. She heard Sokka let out a yelp as Toph punched his shoulder, "Don't _ever_ tell her I said any of this!"

"Hey, my lips are sealed." Sokka promised.

* * *

Kotaro shook his head as he helped Sokka's Hawky clean out some dirt from its feathers, looking over at where Momo was sitting in Aang's lap, looking guilty with big green eyes and drooping ears.

"How in the world did that lemur get a bird stuck in a bush?" He asked as he pulled out a twig from his wing.

"No idea." Aang said, he petted the top of the lemur's ears. Momo perked up when he saw Katara coming up the pathway over to where they were sitting. The little lemur instantly jumped up out of Aang's lap and dashed over to her as she sat down. Kotaro looked at her oddly as he noticed her strangely silent and sad behavior as she gently pet the top of his head. Aang noticed it as well and they both looked at her concernedly.

"Katara, are you okay?" Aang asked, she didn't say anything, only nodded. Aang looked at Kotaro, who shrugged.

"She says she's okay." He said, he turned his attention back to Hawky as the bird let out a small caw, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear you." He reached in and picked out a small bur, "You better thank me later you stupid hawk."

They heard the sound of footsteps, and they looked up to see Sokka returning with Toph from their little talk. Katara got up from where she had been sitting a moment ago and went over to where they were.

"Hi Toph," She greeted as she came up, Toph stopped walking, but Sokka continued, giving the girls a chance to talk with a little privacy, "I wanted to-"

"Katara, stop." Toph interrupted, holding up her hand, "You don't need to apologize, I was the one being stupid. These scams are out of control, and I'm done with them." Kotaro let out a quiet sigh of relief at the earth bender's words.

"Actually, I wasn't going to apologize." Katara said, Toph looked at her oddly, "I was gonna say I wanna pull a scam with you."

"Huh_?_!" Kotaro, Aang, and Sokka all exclaimed at once, looking at Katara in shock.

"What?" Toph asked in surprise, "_You_ wanna pull a scam?"

"Not just _any_ scam." Katara said, "The _ultimate_ scam."

"_Huh?_!" The boys repeated again, unable to believe what they were hearing.

Katara put her arm around Toph's shoulders, "What do you say Toph? Just me and you. One last go. You in?" Toph smiled.

"You _know_ I'm in!" Toph said excitedly, thrilled that Katara wanted to pull a scam, "Now, what's this idea of yours?"

"The plan is simple," Katara began as she led Toph away from where the boys were still in shock. She picked up Toph's wanted poster, "This poster says you're worth a lot of money. Ten times more than you've made in all your scams! So, I'm gonna turn you in and collect the reward, then you metal bend yourself out of jail, and we're on our way!"

Toph grinned widely, "I _love_ it! Let's do it before we leave tomorrow!" Katara smiled, glad she approved.

"Okay, if that's the case, we better get to sleep now, so we can have all the energy we need to carry all that money." Katara said, rolling up the wanted poster.

"You know Katara," Toph said, standing up, "For someone who acts like such a goody-two-shoes, you're pretty sly." Katara smiled.

"Thank you for the compliment." She said, she turned to the guys, "We're turning in a little early tonight. There's still some soup left in the pot if you get hungry." The two girls headed off to bed, completely ignoring how the boys' jaws were still practically on the floor, still in shock of Katara.

Kotaro was able to break out of it when Hawky squawked at him and pecked his head.

"Ow." He glared at the bird, who looked back at him blankly. Kotaro shook him off his arm, "You're clean, go bother Sokka." He got up and headed away from Aang and Sokka, heading to bed.

He tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach, but he just couldn't.

* * *

Kotaro watched as Aang paced back and forth on their campgrounds. Earlier that morning, Katara and Toph had gone into town to pull off their scam, and they still had yet to return. Now, it was sometime around early afternoon, and they still had yet to return. Aang had asked multiple times if Kotaro was able to hear their footsteps, or smell their scent, but he kept on replying that he didn't hear or smell anything.

"Do you think that scam of theirs should be taking this long?" Aang asked as he paced.

"I was just wondering the same thing." Sokka said.

"This was a bad idea." Kotaro said, he looked to the others, "We need to go and check it out. If they've been gone for this long, something must have happened."

"Couldn't agree more." Sokka said, he stood up and turned to where Hawky had been resting comfortably on one of their baskets of supplies, near where Momo was bathing himself, "You two behave! Appa's in charge."

With that, the three boys turned and headed for town.

Once they were out of sight, Momo turned to the bird and let out a growl. Hawky squawked in return, holding up its wings intimidatingly as it glared at the lemur. Appa watched the two of them try and intimidate the other, and he let out a loud roar that shut them both up very quickly.

* * *

The three boys walked through the town, looking around for any sign of Katara and Toph. The town was strangely quiet at the moment. All the doors to all the houses were shut, as well as the windows. All the shops were closed, and no one was manning any of the stands. You could just see the tumbleweeds running around somewhere in the city.

"Where do you think they might be?" Sokka asked, looking around.

"Where do you think _anyone_ is?" Aang asked in return. They all walked to the center of the town, where a huge statue of Fire Lord Ozai stood, fire coming out of his enclosed fists, and shooting out of his mouth as he looked towards the heavens. Kotaro's ears twitched back and forth, listening carefully for any signs of life.

Then he heard it. The single, huge, deep breath that sent chills down his spine. He looked back and saw the assassin from a few nights ago standing on one of the rooftops, ready to fire.

"Get out of the way!" He shouted, pushing Sokka and Aang back just as he fired off a blast from his mind. They hid behind the statue, which easily took the blow that was aimed for them.

"It's Sparky-Sparky Boom Man!" Aang exclaimed, pointing to him.

"You know, I'm starting to think that name doesn't quite fit!" Sokka said, his voice a little louder so he would be able to hear himself over the ringing in his ears from the explosion.

'Sparky-Sparky Boom Man' jumped down from the roof and stood up straight before firing off another explosion at where they were hiding. They all ran from him, getting out of the way as the explosion before it could get past the statue's legs to them. They ran around the corner of a building to get away from him, only to have an explosion fire off from behind, sending them flying. Aang was able to land safely on the ground from his air bending, Kotaro and Sokka got catapulted into a nearby cart, which rolled a few feet with them in it before tipping over and dumping them out when it landed on its side. The two tumbled out of it. Aang ran over and helped them up. They all stayed behind the cart in an attempt to hide from the man.

"This guy is too good!" Sokka said, "He shoots fire from his brain!"

"We should split up!" Aang said, "He can't chase us all!" They nodded and ran off different directions, Sokka and Kotaro going one way, while Aang went another. And just in time, too, because the man sent another explosion at the cart they had been hiding behind just before they ran off from it. He looked around, searching for his target, and in the corner of his eye, saw Aang running across the roof of the building next to him. He fired off another explosion that sent Aang flying through the air, straight into the statue of Fire Lord Ozai. He fell away from it, and managed to land on his feet, but fell to the ground a second later, his body unable to process being thrown into the air like that and then falling so quickly. The man walked over to him and towered over Aang, and just as he took in a deep breath, a wall of ice encased his head, and he suddenly couldn't see, or fire off at Aang.

He looked up to see Sokka and Kotaro with Toph and Katara, who were perfectly fine. Katara ran over to him the second the man had moved out of the way.

"Aang, get up!" She said, pulling him off the ground and onto his feet. Once he was, they all ran, hoping to get away from the assassin that was after them. He soon broke through Katara's ice and glared at where the five of them were fleeing. Toph, having heard him break through the ice, used her bending to lift a boulder out of the ground and shoot it off at the man. He easily smashed the rock to pieces with his mind, but a stray piece of it, a tiny little pebble from what was once a boulder, flew back and hit the third eye tattoo and his forehead. He stumbled back, letting out a groan of pain. But he was quickly on his feet, angrier than ever at the kids for touching his sacred tattoo. He took in a deep breath and tried to fire off again, only to have his efforts backfire and explode in his face, literally. He was thrown back by the force of it, and he lost his target and his friends as they ran further and further away.

"Hey! I got it!" Sokka said suddenly as they ran, "The perfect name for that guy! _'Combustion Man'_!"

"Great job, Sokka." Kotaro bit out, "Now let's get out of here before Combustion Man catches us!"

"See? It fits _so_ well!" Sokka said with a grin, glad to have come up with a name for the crazy assassin that was after them.

* * *

Once they had made it back to camp, they all hopped on Appa and flew off as quickly as they could. They all felt relief flood through them when they got up into the air and saw that he hadn't followed them.

They flew for hours, not wanting to give Combustion Man a chance to find them nearby. By the time they landed for camp, the sun had already set, and the moon was high in the sky. They had Appa land in a large crevice in the ground where they could hide from any passing travelers, and were safe for the evening.

As he climbed out of the saddle, Sokka yawned, "I'm exhausted." He turned to where Hawky rested on his arm, "Hawky, how about you, buddy?" The bird cawed in response. Sokka gently pet his belly with his finger, "Yeah, you're such a lazy little bird." He jumped out of the saddle, Aang and Kotaro following him. Katara was about to do the same, but Toph called her name.

"Katara, I need your help." She said, Katara moved to sit back in the saddle, in front of Toph, showing she was listening.

"What is it, Toph?" She asked.

Toph held out a piece of paper to her, "I need you to write some things down for me." She said, "I want to send a letter to my parents." She smiled at the water bender, who easily returned it.

"I'll be happy to help." Katara said, taking the piece of paper and getting some ink. Toph spoke out what she wanted to say, and Katara made sure to write down every word. Once the letter was finished, Katara called to Hawky and he went over to them. They stuck the letter into his holder, and they showed him the emblem of Toph's parents, showing him who he needed to deliver the letter to. The bird let out a caw when he got it down, and Katara lifted up her arm. Hawky flew off into the night sky, happy to finally be able to send a message for his new owners.

Not long after he had left, Sokka said, "Hey, where'd Hawky go?"

* * *

**Tada! A new chapter!**

**I just wanted to take this little space here to thank all my new fans for supporting my story. I really love you guys, even if you aren't a huge crowd of fangirls!**

**Also, I'm skipping episode 8 of book 3 because I like the next episode much better, and it's taking forever to get to the eclipse episode. Just letting you know.**


	32. Nightmares and Daydreams

32

Kagemi sat up in her bed, glaring down at the sheets. She was so tired, but she couldn't risk another sleep. When she had awoken last time, the cracks on her face had reached down to her neck, and she wasn't looking forward to giving Hoshiko a chance to get out. She growled and threw off the sheets. She got up and dressed herself out of her bedclothes and stepped out of the room. She needed something to do to keep her awake. She couldn't think of anything better than to wander around the palace, as boring as it seemed. She almost enjoyed being awake for so long at night. It gave her a chance to better plan out what she was going to do for the invasion. What she wanted to do was fight on the front lines, crushing all the pathetic Earth Kingdom soldiers, and maybe even crushing one or two of Hoshiko's friends.

What she wouldn't _give_ to break Kotaro's bones! Or maybe crush Sokka's skull. Hell, maybe she'd even throw in an eye-gouging for the little water bender. Chop off the limbs of everyone else, she doesn't care what happens to them. _Oh_, what she would _give_…

However, she couldn't risk fighting them and injuring them. She wouldn't give Hoshiko that chance. Ever since she had arrived in the Fire Nation, she had been fighting for her body, and she didn't like it. She was not giving up what she had worked years for to get for herself.

She turned down the hallway and continued walking, not really knowing where she was going, and not really caring. She was surprised, though, when she saw Azula walking down the same hallway. She looked over at Kagemi.

"What are you doing up so late?" She asked her.

"I could ask you the same, highness." Kagemi replied, going over to her. Azula shrugged.

"I wasn't tired." She said, Kagemi said nothing in return. "I've been thinking over what to do for the invasion."

"That's good." Kagemi said, coming up beside the princess.

Azula turned to her, "I have a job for you, Kagemi."

"You always do." She said, she looked to the princess, "Anything in particular you wish to discuss with me?"

"Wasn't your host a friend of the avatar's?" Azula asked. Kagemi quirked a brow at her.

"You know she was." Kagemi said, "Why do you ask?" Azula smirked.

* * *

Kotaro gazed up at the night sky as they flew through the air to the rendezvous point for the invasion, with no cloud cover blocking the view. It was a rare chance for him to look up at the sky at night while they were flying, and he took it. They landed Appa on an island that was filled with herds of wild koala sheep. Sokka looked over his map, then over at the land of the island.

"This is it." He said, "The official rendezvous point for the invasion force."

"How did you pick this place?" Toph asked, wiggling her toes in the soft grass around them.

"Before we split up, my dad and I found this island on a map." Sokka said, "It's uninhabited, and the harbor surrounded by cliffs seemed like the perfect secluded place."

"Nice choice, Sokka." Katara praised as she set up her sleeping bag. "And we're here four days ahead of schedule."

"Wait, four days_?_!"Aang exclaimed in shock, "The invasions in _four days?_!" He looked around anxiously, suddenly very nervous.

Sokka yawned as he lay down on his sleeping bag, "Whatever, that's, like, four days from now. Let's just calm down and…" He stopped, suddenly overcome by his sleep and started snoring. Kotaro let out a chuckle at him before lying down on his own sleeping bag.

"As ridiculous as he is, Sokka's got the right idea, Aang." He said to the air bender, "We're here, we're prepared, the best thing we can do right now is get plenty of rest." He lay down, using his arm as a make-shift pillow.

"Mm… I guess…" Aang said, sounding a little reluctant. He lay down and closed his eyes, hoping to get some sleep before the night was over.

* * *

Kagemi knocked on the door of the house that Azula had sent her to. It was opened by a servant.

"I'm here to see Mai." Kagemi said, "Tell her it's Kagemi." The servant nodded and let her into the house. She stayed in the home's foyer until Mai came into the room, a displeased scowl on her face.

"What are _you_ doing here?" She asked, not happy to see the Shinjun.

"Don't get so excited," Kagemi remarked sarcastically, "Wouldn't want you to have a heart attack." Mai's scowl deepened.

"What do you want?" She asked, Kagemi held out a scroll.

"I want your father." She said, "Princess Azula wants your father's platoons to help protect the palace during the invasion. I need him to look over these."

"Dad's not home." Mai said, crossing her arms over her chest, "So come back later."

"Princess Azula said I couldn't return to the palace without them." Kagemi said, mimicking the way she crossed her arms.

"Well, I don't know where he is." Mai said, trying to get her out of the house.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to wait until your old man comes home." Kagemi replied, insisting on staying in the house.

"I'm expecting someone." Mai said.

"So am I." Kagemi replied. Mai glared at her, and she glared back in return.

"Why don't you bug Ty Lee?" Mai demanded.

"Because I hate her." Kagemi said, "Besides, bugging you is much more fun." Mai frowned and was about to say something more when someone knocked on the door. She glared at Kagemi.

"Fine, you can stay." She said, "Just keep shut and out of sight, got it?" Kagemi rolled her eyes.

"Or what? You'll poke a new hole in me with your fancy knives?" Kagemi asked mockingly. Mai walked past her and opened the door, smiling at Zuko, who smiled in return.

"Hey." She greeted.

"Hey." Zuko returned, he leaned down and lightly kissed her lips.

"Well, look who came to join the party! Prince Scarface." Kagemi said with a smirk as she looked at the couple. Zuko looked up, noticing her for the first time and scowled.

"What are you doing here, Kagemi?" He asked.

"Princess Azula ordered me to come here." Kagemi said with a frown, "Believe me, I don't like this anymore than you do."

"Just remember what I said." Mai said warningly, again, Kagemi rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." She shooed them away, "Go and cuddle or whatever it is you do. I'll 'keep shut and out of sight'." Zuko put his arm around Mai's shoulders and they walked away to another room, leaving Kagemi in the foyer.

* * *

Kotaro was awoken the next morning by the sound of pounding and the feeling of the shaking ground. For a second, he feared an earthquake, but once he opened his eyes, he saw that was not the case. He looked to see that it was Aang, fighting against a tree, punching it and kicking it. Everyone looked at his state, his eyes wide, little dark circles under his eyes, and he seemed a little… crazed.

Kotaro looked over at Sokka and Katara, who looked just as confused as he was.

"Hey, how long have you been up?" Katara asked.

"A couple hours." Aang said, he began moving around the tree, attacking different points, "I've got a lot more skills to refine if I'm gonna fight Ozai."

"You know," Katara began, "There _is_ such a thing as over-training." Aang punched the tree again, apparently a bit too hard, because the backlash of the punch went through his entire body and he fell over for a second, all the leaves from the branches falling down on him a second later. Everyone looked at the leaf-pile worriedly, wondering if Aang was okay. He quickly jumped out of the pile in a fighting stance, looking at Katara.

"You don't get it, do you?" He asked as he began to circle her, "My form is bad, I'm sloppy, and I still don't know any fire bending! Not even the basics!" His eye twitched for a moment and Katara looked at him concernedly.

"Fire bending isn't that big of a deal for this, Aang." Kotaro said, "The eclipse will block it all anyway, so you don't need to know any."

"Plus, it's a stupid element." Sokka added in.

"O-Okay, well, I still have to work on everything else!" Aang said, making some chopping motions in the air, "I better spend the whole day training." He quickly bowed to where Sokka, Kotaro, and Toph were sitting, then to Katara, then he made an air scooter and sped off. Katara looked after him worriedly.

"Don't worry, Katara." Kotaro assured her, "I'm sure he'll be fine. It can't hurt to get in a little extra training. It's a big battle."

"I know that, but…" Katara turned to him, "I'm still worried."

Kotaro smiled at her concern for him, "Well, the best way to build up muscle strength is to train for a whole day, rest the entire day after. I'm sure that's what he's planning on doing." Katara nodded, but she still seemed unsure, "Aang's a tough kid, he'll be fine."

"But he's still a kid." Katara said, Kotaro frowned, knowing he couldn't argue about that logic.

* * *

Later on that day, Aang came back from an entire day of vigorous training. He didn't stop except for food and the occasional bathroom break. He went back to where everyone was ready to sleep, and he lay down on the grass, ready for bed after such a long day.

"Goodnight Katara. Goodnight Sokka. Goodnight Toph. Goodnight Kotaro. Goodnight Appa. Goodnight Momo. Goodnight Appa and Mo-"

"Go to sleep already!" Toph snapped. Aang flinched at her voice and stopped, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

He awoke two hours later, scared out of his mind from his nightmare. He got up, deciding he should train more, and went over to where a small group of koala sheep were sleeping and began circling, waiting for one of them to move to help him train. Katara noticed him getting up and looked at him. She walked over to where he was.

"Aang, it's the middle of the night." She said, "You need to go back to sleep."

"But I forgot my pants and my math test!" Aang said, continuing to circle the sheep. Katara looked at him oddly, his statement not making any sense. She shook her head and went over to him, gently placing her hands on his shoulder.

"Aang, sleep." She said softly, turning him around to face her, "Please. For me?" Aang looked at her a moment longer, and his eyes softened. He nodded and went to do as she asked, laying down at his place across from where Katara had been sleeping.

* * *

"…And I need your seal here." Kagemi said, pointing to the bottom of the document that temporarily signed over all soldiers under the control of Mai's father to Fire Lord Ozai on the day of the invasion. He did so with no argument, burning some wax onto the page and placing his seal upon the paper. Kagemi smiled in satisfaction at the paper as she rolled it up. "Pleasure doing business with you." With that, she turned around, her tail 'accidentally' knocking over a bottle of ink and ruining whatever papers he had been working on. It was retaliation for when he commanded one of his servants to 'toss out this filthy Shinjun muck!' from his house. She heard him frantically try to stop the downpour of ink and gather up his papers from it. Kagemi grinned in victory as she walked down the hall. She passed by the room where Mai and Zuko were cuddling with each other, the room's entrance flanked by two of Zuko's personal servants. She looked into the room with an indifferent expression as she heard the words that were exchanged between them.

"Tell me, if you could have anything you wanted right now, what would it be?" Zuko asked Mai.

"Hmm…" She thought for a moment, "A big, fancy fruit tart, with rose petals on top."

"You know, being a prince and all," Zuko began, "I might just be able to make that happen."

Mai laughed, "That would be impressive."

Zuko looked up at the two servants saying, "You think you could find a fresh fruit tart for the lady? With rose petals on top?" The two servants bowed.

"Excellent choice, sir." One servant said, both of them going off to get the fruit tart in question. Kagemi made a disgusted face, her nose scrunching up and her tongue sticking out.

"I just might hack up a hairball…" She muttered to herself.

"I guess there are some nice perks that come with being royalty." Mai said, not having heard anything Kagemi said as she lay back down with Zuko on the couch, "Though, there's annoying stuff, too. Like that all-day war meeting coming up."

"War meeting?" Zuko asked, suddenly sitting up. Kagemi's ears perked at his tone of voice. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't know?" Kagemi asked from the door, getting the couples attention. She was a little surprised that Zuko didn't know anything about the meeting, "Fire Lord Ozai is having a very important meeting about the future outcome of the war. All his generals, admirals, and advisors are attending, including your sister. Aren't you going?"

"I guess I wasn't invited." Zuko muttered. Kagemi grinned.

"Well, considering how things went the _last_ time you went to a meeting," Kagemi began, "You should be thanking the Gods that Daddy dearest isn't going to burn your _other_ eye." Zuko turned sharply to her with a glare.

"You watch your mouth!" He snapped. Kagemi grinned.

"_Ooh_, I made the prince mad." She said in a phony voice, "I'm shaking in my boots!" She let out a cackle as she walked down the hallway and out the door, heading back to the palace, shutting the door loudly behind her.

* * *

"Sokka, get up! I need to know what day it is!"

"What_?_! Who's talking_?_!"

_THUD_

"Ow."

This was the sound Kotaro woke up to. He saw Sokka lying on his back holding his forehead with a groan. Aang stood over him, looking at him with wide and worried eyes.

"Relax!" Toph groaned, "It's still two days before the invasion."

"Sokka!" Aang grabbed Sokka's legs and started pulling them up, "You've gotta get up and drill your rock-climbing exercises!"

"What?" Sokka asked tiredly.

"In one of my dreams you were running from Fire Nation soldiers, trying to climb this cliff!" Aang explained, demonstrating what Sokka had been doing with his own hands, "But you were too slow and they got you!"

"But that was just a dream." Sokka said, standing up, "I'm a great climber."

"Then climb that cliff!" Aang said, pointing at a cliff nearby, "Climb it fast!"

Sokka looked up at the cliff, then back at Aang, who nodded enthusiastically. He sighed and went to go climb the cliff, muttering, "Stupid avatar… stupid cliff… stupid dream! I can climb fast!" Aang watched him climb with a smile of relief.

He turned around to where Kotaro was yawning and stretching his limbs up.

"_Don't yawn!_" Aang said suddenly, shocking the Shinjun out of his sleepy state, making him quickly shut his mouth, accidentally biting his tongue.

"Ow... Why?" He asked.

"In one of my dreams, we were fighting against the Fire Nation, but you were really tired and you were yawning a lot!" Aang explained, "One of the fire benders blasted a ball of fire into your mouth and burned you from the inside and you died!"

"Aang that was _just_ a dream." Kotaro said as Toph took a drink of water from a container.

"_Don't drink that!_" Aang shouted at her. She immediately spat it out onto Katara.

"Why? Is it poisoned_?_!" She asked frantically as Katara bended the water off of her and somewhere else.

"In my dream, we were right in the middle of the invasion and you had to stop to use the bathroom!" Aang said, "We died because of your tiny bladder!" He turned to Katara, "And you need to start wearing your hair up! In my dream, your hair got caught in a train, and-!"

"Aang!" Katara stopped him, "I know you're just trying to help, but you really need to get a grip! You're unraveling." Aang took a deep breath in and out, calming himself.

"You're right." He said, "I'm losing my mind."

Just behind them, Sokka let out a girlish cry as he slipped down the cliff he had been climbing on and went all the way down. Kotaro let out a laugh when he fell down on his butt.

"Shut up." Sokka muttered, standing up. He went over to his Appa armor project that he had started the other day.

Aang, still awake, began to pace in circles near the others, his fingers constantly fidgeting with each other, and his eyes twitching uncontrollably. He also had a bad habit of babbling when stressed.

"It's like every time I think about how stressed I am, I just end up more stressed!" Aang said, "I'm like a big, growing snowball of nerves!"

"Of course you are." Sokka said, "That's 'cause you gotta fight the Fire Lord, the baddest man on the planet. And you better win, or we're all done for- Ow!" He glared at Kotaro, who had thrown a rock at him to get him to shut up.

"That's not helping!" Kotaro snapped at him.

"What?" Sokka asked with a shrug, "It's true. That's the deal, he knows it." Kotaro threw another rock at him and he scowled, going back to work on his armor, grumbling about Shinjuns with good aim.

Katara looked up at her friend and saw that he was even more fidgety and nervous than before. She walked over to him, gently putting her hands on his shoulders, "You know what? I got just the thing." She said to him, "Get ready to be de-stressified."

* * *

Katara took Aang to where a small hot spring resided on the island, like nature's own sauna. She and Aang were in comfortable clothes, Katara's hair was held back by a towel so it wouldn't get in her face.

"This yoga stretches can really do wonders if you do them in extreme heat." Katara said, she took a stance, her ankles and hands together, saying in a calming voice, "Reach up." Aang followed her pose, "Reach for the sun." Aang followed her pose again as she moved from side to side, "Feel your chi paths clearing." She held out her hands and feet and bent over, putting her hands on the back of her ankles, her head touching the ground. Aang did the same, "Now, close your eyes. "How do you feel?"

"I feel… really warm." Aang said.

"Good, good." Katara said, her voice trying to soothe him, "Go on."

"Like… there's this warm feeling all around me." Aang said, "This heat… Like I'm in the Fire Lord's palace and he's shooting a bunch of fire balls at me! And the whole world is being _engulfed in flames_!" He lost his balance and fell over on his back. Katara looked at him concernedly.

"…Maybe your stress is the kind you need to talk out." She said.

* * *

Sokka put on his beard before going over to where he had left Aang resting against one of the koala sheep. Kotaro rolled his eyes at him when he put it on before going over to Aang, resting his arms on another koala sheep. Neither one of them seemed to mind them being there.

"Why don't you get right down to business and tell me what's been bothering you?" Sokka said, putting on a phony voice to sound like a different person.

"You _know_ what's bothering me!" Aang snapped, "I have to fight the Fire Lord in a few days."

"Mm-hmm. Tell me more about this 'Fire Lord'." Sokka said, "Why are you so afraid of him?"

"You said it yourself! He's the baddest man on the planet!" Aang said, getting annoyed with Sokka's behavior, "I'm supposed to defeat him and save the world!"

Sokka nodded sagely, "Life does feel that way sometimes, doesn't it?" He asked, "Like we're all trying to save the world from evil?"

"_Okay_, but what can I do to feel better_?_!" Aang snapped, having just about had it with 'Sokka the Therapist'.

"Wanna try screaming into this pillow?" Sokka asked as he picked up a baby koala sheep and held it out to Aang. He took the little lamb, looking at it for a moment, then opened his mouth and shoved his face into the wool, screaming. After a moment, he pulled away. Sokka nodded his head, giving Aang a thumbs-up, but he shook his head, saying his treatment didn't work. Sokka kept nodding his head, telling Aang that it would, but he kept shaking his head in disagreement until he finally had it with Sokka and practically threw the lamb back at him (Sokka caught it) and he got up and stormed off.

* * *

Kagemi went over the list that Azula had given her. Apparently, she was her scribe for the day, and was keeping track of everything Azula wanted to do. At the moment, she was getting her long hair brushed and styled so she could go out later on to Mai's house and hang out with her. Kagemi grumbled a little as she looked over the list she had been given, completely humiliated at the new position she had been given.

The doors to the room opened and Zuko came into the room.

"Hello Zuzu." Azula greeted cheerily, "If you've come for a royal hair-combing, I'm afraid you'll have to wait."

"So, I guess there's a big war meeting coming up, huh?" Zuko said to her, "And apparently, I'm not welcome there."

Azula scoffed, "What do you mean? Of course you're welcome there."

"Oh yeah?" Zuko asked, "I guess that's why no one bothered to tell me about it!"

"Oh, Zuko." Azula sighed, "Don't be so dramatic. I'm certain Dad wants you there. You probably just weren't invited because it's so _obvious_ that you're supposed to be there."

"Well, were you invited?" Zuko asked.

"Of course, I'm the princess." Azula replied.

"And I'm the _prince_!" Zuko said.

"Exactly." Azula said firmly, "So stop acting like a paranoid child. Just go to the meeting."

"Or, you could not go and save your dad the trouble of kicking you out." Kagemi said with a smirk. Azula giggled for a moment, and then frowned, looking at Kagemi.

"As funny as that was, it was rude. Say you're sorry." She ordered, Kagemi scowled.

"I apologize for my outburst, Prince Zuko." She said, as if she had said it to him a thousand times (And she probably had. She lost count after twenty).

Zuko scowled, "Forget it, I'm _not_ going." He turned and walked out of the way, slamming the door behind him.

"Yeesh, touchy." Kagemi said, making herself more comfortable on her seat. For a moment, there was no talking. Just the sound of running water as Azula's hair was combed by the two royal stylists. Kagemi looked up to see Azula's content face, "Your highness," Azula opened one of her eyes to look at Kagemi, who looked a little nervous, "About the invasion plan… I'm not sure I can do such a thing. The pact I made with the girl will not allow me to do so."

"You don't need to worry." Azula said, "It's just until the eclipse has ended. Just keep them occupied until then, once it's over, I'll fight and you can keep your body under control."

"Still…" Kagemi sighed. Azula sat up, looking straight at Kagemi and ruining her hair brushing a little bit as the water got on the shoulders of the robe she wore.

"Do you doubt my tactics, Shinjun?" Azula asked with a frown, using the name of Kagemi's race to show her who was in charge. Kagemi jumped.

"No ma'am." She said instantly, "I'm just… concerned for my wellbeing."

"Well _don't_ be." Azula said, "Your loyalty is to the royal family, their wellbeing is the only wellbeing you should care about." She lay back down and let the two stylists continue their work, not seeing how Kagemi's face suddenly contorted in anger, her hand clenching into a fist, her shadow writhing in anger.

"Yes, Princess." She growled out, reluctantly accepting the orders she had been given.

* * *

Aang lay down on a bed of thick stone pillars, Toph stood on the side of him.

"Alright, what you need is a good old fashioned back-pounding to relieve your stress." Toph said.

"Pound away." Aang said. Toph grinned and started quickly moving her feet up and down, causing the stones underneath Aang to pound at his body harshly. "Ah! Ow! Ah! Toph! I-I… think this… is… bruising… me…!" He soon moved off the stones and fell onto the ground, still shaking a little from the pounding session after Toph had stopped.

"Sorry." Toph said, "I forgot you had 'baby' skin." She thought for a moment, "Well, there's one other thing we can try," She stomped her foot on the ground and shot something up into the air and into her hand, "Acupuncture." She revealed it to be a boarcupine covered in spiny needles.

Aang immediately ran away.

* * *

Aang sat in front of Kotaro as they both stood at the cliff side.

"Normally, what I do to relieve stress is just some breathing exercises." Kotaro said, "Hopefully, it'll work for you. Ready?" Aang nodded, "Okay, deep breath through your nose." They both breathed in, "Out through the mouth." They both let out the air they had taken in. "And just do that for a few more minutes." They did it again, silently. "So… you're really nervous about this thing, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Aang said, taking in another deep breath, "It's the Fire Lord. Ruler of the Fire Nation. I'm not sure I can fight him."

"You're a tough kid." Kotaro said, "I'm sure you can take him."

"But what if I can't?" Aang asked, "What if I fail? If I fall, then the whole world falls!"

"Well, that's why you have friends with you." Kotaro said, "So that, should you ever fall, Gods forbid, we can continue the mission."

"I don't want you guys to keep fighting for a losing war!" Aang said.

"It won't be a losing war." Kotaro said firmly, the breathing exercises suddenly stopped. "We'll just hold them off until you're reborn. We won't stop this war because of one death. We'll push through."

"But…"

"Just don't worry." Kotaro said.

"How can I not worry?" Aang said, "It's the entire world! And the Fire Lord, and the Fire Nation! If I fail _everybody_ fails! The war would be as good as over!" He grabbed at the roots of his hair, his eyes going wide.

Kotaro sighed, "Maybe talking during these exercises was a bad idea."

* * *

Zuko stood at the window at Mai's house, looking out at the palace across the road, glaring at it. Mai walked over to him, "Zuko, it's just a dumb meeting." She said, "Who cares?"

"I don't." Zuko said, although he really did.

"Well good, you shouldn't." Mai said, "I mean, why would you even want to go? Kagemi's a jerk but she was right, just think about how things went at your last war meeting."

Zuko sighed, "I know."

"You know what'll make you feel better?" Mai asked, hoping to cheer him up. Zuko didn't respond, "Ordering some servants around! I might be hungry for a whole _tray_ of fruit tarts! And, maybe a little palanquin ride around town? Double time?" She smiled and turned Zuko's face towards her, but he turned away, not in the mood for her efforts of cheering him up. She stepped back, giving him the space he wanted.

* * *

That night, Aang sat in front of his friends, all of them ready to sleep, "Thanks for everything, guys." He said.

"So, do you feel less stressed?" Katara asked, "Ready for a good night's sleep?"

"Uh…" Aang thought for a moment, "I kinda think I sorta might slightly feel a little better. Maybe."

"Then our work here is done." Sokka said, he lay down on his sleeping bag, as did everyone else, ready to have a good night's sleep.

The night was quiet, and the grass was soft, and Aang felt ready to have a good long, perfectly dreamless sleep, but he was still so incredibly nervous about how he was going to face the Fire Lord. He closed his eyes, and tried to drift off to sleep.

A few hours later, he woke up, screaming, and everyone else jumped awake. They all went over to where Aang was sitting up.

"What happened, Aang?" Katara asked urgently.

"It's the nightmares." Aang said, "They just get worse and worse."

"Looks like it's time for another therapy session." Sokka said, "I'll get my beard."

"No, that won't help!" Aang said quickly, stopping Sokka from going and getting it. "Nothing helps! There's only one thing I can do. I'm gonna stay awake straight through to the invasion." Everyone looked at him in shock.

* * *

The next morning, Kotaro looked over at where Aang was pacing around, as he had been doing all night. He furrowed his brows as he heard Aang muttering, "Invasion… All aboard for the invasion…"

"Staying up all night can't be much better for him than nightmares." He said, speaking his thoughts out loud.

"It probably is." Sokka said, "But what can we do? Nothing we try to do to relieve his stress is working."

"Well, surely he has his own means of relieving stress?" Kotaro asked.

"I think meditation is really his only option, but he's in no condition for that." Sokka said. Kotaro sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"There must be _something_." He said. He looked over at where was muttering things incoherently to himself as Katara watched him move around. "Maybe Katara can give him a massage or something."

"I already tried back pounding." Toph said, "He can't take it."

"And why does _Katara_ have to be the one to give him a massage?" Sokka asked, wondering why he suggested specifically his sister.

"Because if Toph did it, she'd probably try and crush the poor guy," Kotaro explained, gesturing to her, "And, let's be honest, guys massaging guys is a little uncomfortable." Sokka nodded.

"True dat." He said. He looked over at where Aang was, and quirked an eyebrow. Kotaro did the same, and was surprised to see Aang in a strange position, making something of a fish face. Only Kotaro could hear the words that were spoken.

"Aang?" Katara called to him, he stopped, opening his eyes, surprised to see what position he was in, "I was just saying you should take a nap?"

"Oh." Aang quickly righted himself, looking at Katara in embarrassment, "I guess I kinda drifted off into a day dream."

"What was your dream about?" Katara asked.

"Um…" Aang blushed and came up with a quick lie, "Living underwater?"

Katara smiled, "Sounds neat." Aang let out a nervous laugh. Katara turned and walked over to where camp was to help fix breakfast, leaving Aang to be by himself for a little while.

* * *

Zuko sat on Mai's couch, scowling deeply. The war meeting was today, and it had probably already begun. No one had come to get him, no one had said anything about him coming, and no one had done anything to get him to go. He shouldn't have been so surprised about it, but he wanted to be there. Maybe his father just didn't want him to be a disgrace to him again. The thought only made his scowl worse.

Mai poured him a cup of tea, hoping it would calm him down, but he didn't want any.

"Hey, Prince Scarface." Zuko sat up and glared at Kagemi's form in the doorway, a frown on her face, "Come on, let's go."

"Go where?" Zuko asked scathingly.

"Where else?" Kagemi asked, "The high generals, the high admirals, the war ministers and your sister all showed up. We've got to get going."

"So… my dad wants me at the meeting?" Zuko asked.

"The Fire Lord said he wouldn't start without you." Kagemi said. Zuko let a small smile cross his face. His father wanted him at the meeting, he wanted him to be there at his side. "Now, get in your nice clothes and let's _go_." Zuko scowled at her.

"You know, most people bow before their prince." He said, Kagemi glared at him.

"Well I'm not most people am I?" She asked, she turned around, flicking her tail in his face as she walked to the door, "Come on! We don't have all day!" Zuko rubbed the part of his face she had flicked and followed her out after bidding a quick goodbye to Mai.

* * *

"Can you hand me that hammer right there?" Sokka asked, Kotaro reached over and grabbed the hammer in question, handing it to Sokka as he worked on Appa's armor. Kotaro didn't have anything better to do, so when Sokka asked for some help on his armor, he was happy to lend his assistance. "Thanks."

They both looked to the side as they saw Aang jump out from behind the bushes, shouting at a tree he had turned into a fake Ozai dummy, "Put 'em up, Fire Lord!" The tree didn't move. He shot out some air blasts over the tree, and it went over to where Sokka and Kotaro were working, lifting them up into the air, then dropping them on the ground.

"Hey!" Sokka snapped at him, "I'm trying to build Appa some armor here so he doesn't have to go into the invasion naked!"

Aang didn't seem to be listening, "Aang, this is _your_ bison we're talking about here!" Kotaro said to him, but again, he didn't listen.

"Ozai's defense is impeccable." Aang said, glaring at the Ozai tree, "I'll have to try a different approach." He jumped up in the air and shot some more blasts of air in four different spots around the tree. The only affect it had was making it lose one of its leaves. This only seemed to make Aang angry as he marched over to it, "You think you're untouchable, don't you Mr. Fire Lord?"

"Wow." Kotaro whispered to himself, shaking his head at the sight of Aang, "He is _really_ losing it."

Momo's chirping caught Aang's attention and he looked back at the lemur. "Momo? Did you hear something?" Momo looked at him blankly, and when he turned around, he chirped again. Aang looked at him with wide eyes as he chirped a little more. Quickly, Aang shook his head and rubbed his eyes. When he opened his eyes and looked at the lemur, he chirped again, and Aang let out a sigh of relief and pet his head, "That's more like it. I was so tired that, for a second there, I imagined you were talking to me." Momo cocked his head to the side questioningly. "Oh, Momo, let me explain." Aang began speaking in a way similar to Momo's chirps, completely unaware of everyone looking at him. Sokka and Katara exchanged worried glances and Kotaro sighed, rubbing his face with his hand.

"Aang?" Katara called to him, making him stop speaking in lemur and look over at them, "We're all starting to get a little worried about you."

"You've been awake too long." Sokka said.

"And you're acting downright weird." Toph said.

"I don't think your mind can take much more of this." Kotaro said.

Appa let out a grunt.

Aang groaned, "Look I appreciate what you guys are saying, but the stress and the nightmares… they were just too much. Staying awake is the best way for me to deal with it." Everyone exchanged concerned glances, not seeing how Aang reacted to the way Momo and Appa were communicating with each other, which was no different than normal, but Aang seemed to be worried about it, "Guys, come on." He held up his hands between the two animals, and Kotaro began to wonder if he had slipped off into another daydream again. Aang ran up to Sokka, grabbing his shirt, "Sokka, what should we do?"

"About what?" Sokka asked.

"About _that_!" Aang pointed to where Appa was now eating some of the tall grass that was growing by the rock that Momo was sitting on. Aang went over to them, saying, "Come on, guys! We're all on the same side!"

"Anyone else think that Aang is hallucinating?" Kotaro whispered to the others.

"I'm pretty sure he is." Sokka whispered back.

Suddenly, Aang shouted, "I just need a jump in a cold waterfall! Aaah!" He ran off somewhere to find a cold waterfall.

"Okay, we _have_ to do something." Katara said, "This has gone too far, Aang's body can't take it! He'll completely lose his mind before the invasion even begins at this rate."

"Well, we can't force him to sleep." Toph said, "He might just have more nightmares."

"We need to find a way to get him to sleep peacefully." Kotaro said, "We just need to know how."

Sokka put his hand to his chin in thought, "How can we get Aang to have a good night's sleep…? Hmm…" He looked to the side when he heard one of the koala sheep let out a bray. The koala sheep were all over the island, and they all seemed to be perfectly happy, and they should be, covered in all that wool.

Wool…

Sokka snapped his fingers in 'eureka!' "I got it!"

* * *

Zuko exited the war meeting just before his sister and Kagemi, who looked completely livid, her fists clenched together, and her teeth grinding. What she had heard in that meeting… unbelievable!

"Allow me to speak freely for a moment, highness." She said to Azula.

"Oh, fine." Azula said.

"You cannot seriously think to pull off this plan!" Kagemi hissed angrily. Azula gave her a sharp look.

"I thought you gave your loyalty to the Fire Nation royal family." She said.

"I did, but the Earth Kingdom is-"

"But _nothing_." Azula said sharply, "Your loyalty is to us or no one, and if you are not loyal to us, then we have no use of you."

"Princess, you cannot honestly expect me _not_ to object to this! I-" Azula gave her a sharp look and Kagemi forced herself to calm down. "Forgive me, princess. I spoke out of turn." Her fists shook in anger as she spoke, but her voice was dreadfully calm.

"Come on, Kagemi," Azula said, gesturing for her to follow, "We need to prepare you for the invasion."

"Yes, Princess." Kagemi said, doing as she wanted her to.

Zuko kept walking down the hall to where Mai was waiting for him. She looked at him hopefully.

"So? How did it go?" She asked him.

"When I got to the meeting, everyone welcomed me." Zuko said, "My father had saved me a seat. He wanted me next to him. I was literally at his right hand."

"Zuko, that's wonderful." Mai said, placing her hand on his shoulder, "You must be happy." Zuko said nothing as he walked to the end of the hall and looked up at the portrait of his father. Mai was silent as Zuko gazed at it, letting him be alone with his thoughts.

"During the meeting, I was the perfect prince." Zuko said to her, "The son my father wanted…but I wasn't me." He kept looking up at the picture, wondering if being at his father's side was really what he wanted.

* * *

Aang walked on the coastline of the beach, and a cool mist surrounded him, which was welcomed in the warm temperature of the night. He looked to see something ahead of him, a great, big, white, fluffy cushion just ahead. Curious, he went over to it, pressing down on it, jumping on it, and pressing his face against it, feeling the texture.

"Oh, look, another hallucination." He said, "An imaginary bed made out of clouds."

"Hey, it's real!" Toph said, insulted that he thought the bed was fake.

"It took us hours to make it." Kotaro said, "We made it for you. A good night's sleep will probably take the crazy away."

"We hope." Sokka said. Beside him stood a large group of shorn koala sheep, who didn't seem to mind the new bareness around them.

"Look, you guys keep telling me I need to sleep, but I _can't_!" Aang said, "The invasion's _tomorrow_!"

"Aang," Katara said.

"No, Katara!" Aang said, "There's still so much I haven't learned! I don't need sleep. What I _need_ is practice! Quick, hit me!" He put up his fists in a fighting position, although his posture was a little shaky.

"I'm not going to hit you." Katara said.

"Want me to do it?" Toph asked, she was nudged by Sokka and Kotaro to be quiet.

"Listen to me." Katara said, coming over to Aang and putting her hand on his shoulder, "You've been training for this since the day we met. I've seen your progress. You're smart, brave, and strong enough."

Aang looked up at her, "You really think so?"

"We all do." Kotaro said, giving Aang a reassuring smile.

"You can do this." Sokka said, giving him a similar smile. "You're ready."

"You're the man, Twinkle Toes." Toph said, giving Aang a thumbs-up.

Aang smiled at his friends, "Thanks, guys." He yawned widely and tiredly rubbed his eye. Katara turned him around and led him onto the bed they had made, and he was happy to lay down, "You know what? I think I _am_ ready." Everyone smiled as they saw Aang snuggle into the comfortable bed. Katara held her finger to her mouth as she shooed everyone away. They all tiptoed away to their camp on the land just above the beach, certain that Aang would sleep soundly that night.

And never once did Aang wake up from nightmares. He slept peacefully and comfortably on the wool bed, dreaming sweet dreams.


	33. The Day of Black Sun part 1 The Invasion

33

Kagemi walked beside Princess Azula as they moved through unnaturally dark tunnels of a cave.

"Is there any particular reason we're here, Princess?" Kagemi asked as she followed her through the tunnels, unnerved by its dark caverns.

"I'm here to see someone about the invasion tomorrow," Azula said, "And you're here to be my protection."

"I understand that much." Kagemi said, "But who could you possibly meet down _here_?"

Her question was answered with a sharp hiss from above. She readied herself with shadows around her, glaring up at the ceiling of the cavern for the one who had made the hissing sound. Azula made a motion for her to lower her defenses.

"Now, is that any way to welcome your guests?" Azula asked the ceiling with her typical confident grin. Another hiss sounded, speech coming from it this time.

"I owe you no favors, Princess." It hissed. A large, dark form moved about the ceiling, "And I have no intention of speaking to you while you have a _ni-nin_ with such power at hand."

"If you don't harm us, Kagemi will not harm you." Azula said, "Now, get down here, I need to speak with you, Lelabah." There was no movement and total silence from the ceiling above.

"Lower your defenses and I will lower myself." The voice hissed. Azula looked back at Kagemi and she lowered her hands, letting the shadows back to where they originated. The dark form moved down the ceiling, crawling towards the wall. Kagemi's eyes widened when she saw just who (Or, more appropriately what) it was. It was a person who was a rare breed of Shinjun, someone whose heritage came from insects, and not animals as most common Shinjuns. It was a woman with dark, shoulder-length hair. She had four eyes, two eyes on each side of her nose, with a pair of dark pincers poking out of the corners of her mouth. She had four, very claw-like hands and arms, one shoulder having been just in the pit of the one on top. Instead of a pair of legs, she had a very spider-like thorax with four large, hairy black legs. On her thorax rested a red hourglass symbol, and Kagemi knew that particular breed of spider had the most venomous poison in the west.

"I owe you no favor, Princess." Lelabah hissed, her speech slightly hindered by her pincers. She walked past them towards another part of the cave, "Leave."

"On the contrary, you serve my family." Azula said, "Favors have nothing to do with it."

"Yes, well, let's just say I'm rebelling." Lelabah said, her tone indicating that she was very sarcastic. She went over to a corner of the room, then came back with a torch in hand and handed it to Azula, who quickly lit it with her blue flames. The flames cooled on the torch and turned an orange color, giving her better light to see in the dark cave. Kagemi saw that this cave was the spider girl's home, seeing it filled with knickknacks of various natures. She saw some furniture that was clearly going to be used for a bed, but it was much larger than Lalebah needed it to be.

And that's when she saw it. The huge silken sack lying in the midst of all the knickknacks, it was huge, about the size of a small palanquin, and she could see the shadows of the eggs resting inside.

"Uh… congratulations?" Kagemi said, pointing to the sack of eggs. Lelabah glanced at it, then looked at Kagemi.

"Thank you." She said, "They should be hatching within the next few weeks."

"How many are there?" Azula asked, keeping conversation with her as she went over to her egg sack. She had a motherly smile as she gently petted the sack.

"Eighty-seven." She said, "A beautiful mix of boys and girls."

"It must be a lot of trouble to care for eighty-seven children." Azula said, Lelabah shook her head.

"Any spider Shinjun worth living can take care of itself." She said, "They only need me to give them the spark of life." She moved away from her eggs and looked at Azula, "Now, what do you want?"

"If there's anyone that has a great experience in building underground tunnels, it's you." Azula said, "I want you to help build an underground protection for my father by tomorrow morning." Lelabah looked at her as if she were crazy.

"I can't do that." She said, "An underground shelter in a few days is one thing, but to add on a new shelter fit for a fire lord in a little under a few hours? Before the sun rises? I cannot do such a thing."

"You have the skill." Azula said.

"Yes, but I do not have the motivation." Lelabah replied jokingly, even if it was the truth.

"Then, perhaps I should give you some." Azula turned to Kagemi, "Rip open the egg sack." Kagemi, not one to argue with a direct order from the princess, brought up some shadows and made them head straight for the egg sack. Before they could reach, Lelabah jumped up and took the blow for her children with an angry hiss.

"_How dare you!_" She snapped.

"How dare _I_?" Azula questioned, "How dare _you_, refusing a request from your princess."

"I am not your servant!" Lelabah growled, her four eyes narrowing into a glare. She hissed as her pincers, which were apparently retractable, began to extend out of her mouth. "I do not obey your orders!"

"And yet, it is thanks to the royal family your home has not been destroyed." Azula said. Lelabah faltered at her words, knowing that if she didn't receive the royal protection she had, her home would be either caved in, or burned away, killing both her and all of her children. She still remained in front of her egg sack as she looked at Azula.

"I need more time." She said, "Until midday at least."

"We don't have the luxury of waiting." Azula said.

"But I need to sleep!" Lelabah said desperately.

"You can sleep when your work is done!" Azula snapped, "Now, either you come with us to build the shelter, or you can move aside and give Kagemi a clear shot at your eggs. Your choice." Lelabah looked back at her babies, then back at Kagemi, who had her shadows ready to fight when she needed them. Lelabah hung her head in defeat.

"Yes, your majesty…" She said reluctantly.

* * *

The next morning, Kotaro sat, eating some breakfast as Sokka went over the invasion plans a few feet away. He looked over all his maps, going over where they were going to get into the Fire Nation capital in his head over and over again, making sure he got it. He rubbed his eyes, getting rid of any tiredness that was in them, before going back to looking at the maps. Katara held up a cup of water to him and he only glanced at it before going back to looking at the maps. Katara grabbed his hand and made it take the water. Sokka looked up at his sister, who gave him an encouraging smile and put her hand on his shoulder. Sokka smiled at her in thanks and took a sip of the water just as Aang sprung up from the shore, a happy smile on his face.

Momo, excited that his master was awake, flew over to him and landed on his shoulder. Aang smiled and took his paw in his hand.

"Top of the morning, Momo!" He greeted happily.

"Sounds like you slept well." Katara said as she stood up.

"Like a baby moose lion." Aang said, "I'm ready to face the Fire Lord."

"So what's your strategy for taking him down?" Toph asked, "Gonna get your glow on and hit him with a little avatar state action?"

Aang's shoulders slumped at the mention, "I can't. When Azula shot me with lightning, my seventh chakra was locked, cutting off my connection to all the cosmic energy in the universe."

Toph paused for a moment, and then said, "You know what I just heard?" She held up her hand to imitate Aang's mouth, "Blah, blah, spiritual mumbo-jumbo. Blah, blah, something about space." Kotaro let out a laugh at her words. He looked out at the sea, and frowned when he saw an incoming cloud of fog beginning to roll in.

"Oh, come on!" He groaned when he saw it, "That fog better not delay the invasion. I've been looking forward to this!"

Sokka looked out at the same fog and stood up with a smile on his face, "No, that _is_ the invasion!" Kotaro looked more carefully at the fog, he saw a small fleet of Water Tribe ships. He smiled a little when he saw all the people on decks.

* * *

Everyone went down to the cove and Toph and Aang bent up some earth-made docks for the ships to come in next to. When all the ships were docked and still, everyone on board began to get off, eager to stretch their legs on solid ground. When one of the warriors from the ship that had been leading the others came out, Sokka and Katara ran to him.

"You made it, Dad!" Katara cried happily, going over to embrace him. Kotaro smiled at the sight of Hakoda, having not recognized him from a distance. He waved at him, and Hakoda returned it.

"Were you able to locate everyone I told you to find?" Sokka asked as he came up to him.

"I did, but I'm a little worried, Sokka." Hakoda said, "Some of these men aren't exactly the warrior type." He looked back at a pair of swamp benders as they walked down onto the docks.

"_Hoo-wee_! This place ain't nothin' like the swamp!" Du said, looking around his new surroundings, he suddenly jumped and pointed to a rock pointing out of the water. "Whatch'u reckon that is, Tho? Some sorta Fire Nation explodin' trap what eat ya?"

"It's just a rock, Du." Tho said, showing that he was clearly the more intelligent of the two brothers.

"Well, I'll be." Du said, looking at the rock with a surprised smile. Hakoda grimaced.

"Is it just me, or are those fellas a little loose in the leaf hats?" Hakoda said, speaking quietly so only his kids could hear him.

Bato, who was walking past them, heard him and said, "I just wish they would wear pants." He sent a pointed stare to Huu, who was walking around in a leaf loin cloth.

"Pants are an illusion." He said, scratching his protruding belly, "And so is death." Sokka smiled at him, but others who didn't know Huu just grimaced, thinking him crazy.

Katara brought her father over to the docks, where he smiled as he met up with Aang, Toph, and Kotaro again, who all gave their greetings to the Captain.

"Hi Katara." She turned around when she heard her name, and smiled at the sight of a mustachioed, green eyed teenager with a smile on his face.

"Haru!" She said happily, going over to him and embracing him, "It's so good to see you!" Haru smiled and returned the embrace, happy to see her as well. Aang led Kotaro and Toph over to him.

"Toph, Kotaro, this is Haru." Aang said, introducing him, "When we met him, his town was being controlled by the Fire Nation, so he had to hide his earth bending."

"Katara inspired me and my father to take back our village." He said, smiling at Katara, whose face flushed in embarrassment at the mention. A man came up behind them, clapping his arms on Katara and Haru's shoulders with a smile.

"You helped us find our courage, Katara." He said, "Now we're here to help you." She smiled up at him.

"It's nice to meet you." Kotaro said, holding out his hand to Haru, who shook it.

"You too." He said.

Toph was about to do the same, but she stopped, "No way," She turned to the side in an earth bending stance, "Is that-?" She let out a yelp as she was suddenly picked up by a large man who had only four large teeth and a little patch of hair on his almost bald head.

"Hippo happy to see Blind Bandit!" He said as he picked her up like a man would a small child and hugged her before holding her out at arms-length.

"You guys here for a rematch?" Toph asked with a scowl, ready to face them if she had to.

"Negatory." A muscled earth bender said from beside the man that called himself 'Hippo', "The Boulder and The Hippo no longer fight for other's entertainment. Now, we fight for our kingdom!"

Toph's scowl disappeared and she smiled, "Sweet." Hippo put her back down on the ground and they started talking like old war buddies, suddenly instant friends.

"KOTAAAH!" A voice shouted before someone thrust themselves on top of the Wolf Shinjun, who fell to the ground with a yelp. He looked to see the mass that was currently latched onto his neck, and smiled when he saw the familiar face.

"Xana!" He exclaimed, returning the embrace she had tackled him with. "What are you doing here?"

"Bato found us!" Xana said.

"'Us'?" Kotaro questioned.

"Yeah, me," Xana turned as a group of reptilian males dressed in clothes suited for a desert came towards him, "And all my brothers!" They all had their wrappings removed and Kotaro could see their faces and blond hair as they smiled at him.

"It's good to see you again, Kotaro. It's been a while." Makozo said, reaching down to lend his hand to help him up. He did, Xana detaching herself from his neck when he got up.

"It has." Kotaro said as he was pulled up, he clapped his hand with Makozo's, "It's good to see you again, Makozo. And you, too, Xenak. And Farx, Zeju, Haxen, Lizan, and… wow, you brought everyone!" Xana giggled as Kotaro began to re-acquaint himself with all of her siblings. Sokka looked at Xana and all of those who had come with her, the reptilians numbering seventeen altogether, the youngest being fourteen years of age, roughly.

"These are _all_ your brothers?" Sokka asked in shock, pointing to them.

Xana looked at the group, then back at Sokka.

"Uh-huh." She said, nodding her head, "We have a _biiiiig_ family." She held out her arms to show him just how big it was, "And that's not even counting all my cousins and aunts and uncles."

"How do you have this many relatives?" Aang asked, just as surprised as Sokka.

"Reptilians lay lots of eggs that hatch at different times." Makozo explained, as if it were obvious.

"Naturally, one reptilian has about ten brothers or sisters." One of Xana's brothers, Xenak, explained.

"But our parents were especially fertile, so there about eighteen of us." Another of Xana's brothers, Haxen, said.

"And that's just one sitting!" Farx said with a grin, "That's not counting the new batch that hatched a few weeks ago!"

"A new batch?" Kotaro said in surprise, "Congratulations! How many were there?"

"Twenty two." Makozo said, holding up two fingers, "It's a personal best for Mom and Pops. Twelve boys, ten girls. We've yet to come up with names for all of them yet."

"Well, still, that's great news!" Kotaro said with a smile, "Tell your parents I send my best for their kids."

Makozo was about to reply, when a sudden explosion from one of the ships caught everyone's attention. A boy in a wooden wheelchair quickly rolled out of the boat, with a man with strangely spiky, and slightly bald hair came running out, Pipsqueak and The Duke following them.

"Was that a new invention?" Sokka asked as he came up to them. Kotaro suddenly smelled peanuts as he came up to the men.

"Yes," The Mechanic said, "But, unfortunately, the incendiary capabilities of peanut sauce proved to be a failure."

"You're making _peanut-sauce-bombs_?" Sokka asked, his shoulders dropping.

"They're destructive," Pipsqueak began.

"And delicious!" The Duke finished. They licked the remains of the peanut sauce from their lips, but that still left some peanut sauce on their face, which Momo proceeded to happily lick up.

"Were you able to complete work on the plans I sent you?" Sokka asked, deciding to ignore the peanut bombs.

"Yes I was." He said, "And I think the Fire Nation will be quite surprised."

"Aang, my dad and I made this for you." Teo said as he pulled a staff from his chair, holding it out to Aang. He took it and it had a pair of blue, aerodynamic wings pop out with a pair of handles at the top.

"A new glider!" Aang said happily, "This is amazing!"

"And, as a special feature," The Mechanic said, going over to it, "I added a snack compartment!" He bent down and opened his mouth and twisted the handle, making nuts fall out and into his mouth.

"Oh, well, I'm sure that'll come in handy." Aang said, not sure what to make of the new addition.

* * *

After everyone had stretched their legs and had been handed a good meal from Katara, Hakoda had them all gather up to hear the invasion plan that Sokka had made. And since he made it, they thought it was best for him to explain it. Kotaro had never seen him this nervous before. He was stiff as a board, carefully holding all of the maps and sketches for the invasion in his hands as everyone sat down, waiting to hear the plan.

Hakoda, sensing his son's nervousness, gave him an encouraging smile, "Don't worry. You'll do great." Sokka took deep breath in and out and got up, heading to the earth-made stage Toph had made for him to better explain the invasion plan.

He waved as he came up, "Good morning, everyone- Gyah!" He tripped onto the stage, and Kotaro winced in sympathy. Sokka quickly got back up, grabbing all the plans he had dropped. He looked out at the crowd, "Um… So, as you know, today, we're invading the Fire Nation! I mean- I know you know that, because otherwise why else would you be here?" He laughed nervously, and no one else laughed with him, only making him more nervous. He gulped, "Hah… anyway," He accidentally dropped the plans and quickly picked them back up, putting them on a rock that was to help him display the maps he needed, "The Fire Lord's palace is here." He pointed to a spot on a page that said 'The Invasion plan' "Uh, no. Ah, wait- Ah, wait, -Ah, wait-" With every 'wait' he moved another page to get to the one that showed the Fire Nation and its capital, "And, there's an eclipse today! And Aang's gonna fight the Fire Lord! And, the fire benders won't have any fire to use, so, that's good for us! And… Um…" He looked out at everyone's blank faces and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, let me start at the beginning. Katara and I discovered Aang in an iceberg. Now, I didn't like Aang at first, but I grew to love him over time. Then we went to the southern air temple where Aang used to live. Then we met Suki and the Kyoshi warriors."

"Wow." Kotaro said as he kept babbling endlessly, "When he says beginning, he means 'beginning' beginning." Hakoda got up and went over to his son, stopping his babbling by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Sokka." He said, "It's okay, why don't you take a break?" Sokka frowned, but did as his father asked, knowing he screwed up a little bit. Hakoda turned to the crowd, "Let me just clarify a few points for everyone. Today is the Day of Black Sun. And I want to thank you all for your self-sacrifice, and your courage. There are two steps to the invasion: A naval stage, and then a land stage. To gain sea access to the Fire Nation capital, we have to get past our first major obstacle here." He pointed to a spot on the map were a small line had been drawn between two pieces of land, "The Great Gates of Azulon. Next, we hit the land," He moved the page to show a better map of the land before the Fire Nation capital, "And we hit hard. We must fight past their battlements and secure the plaza tower. Once we do that, it's up to the royal palace. At that point, the eclipse will begin."

"Excuse me, The Boulder is confused." Boulder said, "Isn't the point to invade _during_ the eclipse? When the fire benders are _powerless_?"

"The eclipse only lasts eight minutes." Hakoda said, "Not enough time for the whole invasion, and the royal palace is heavily guarded by fire benders. So that's where we'll need the eclipse advantage the_ most_. When this is finished, the avatar will have defeated the Fire Lord, we will have control of the Fire Nation capital, and this war will be _over_!" He raised his fist up high, and everyone cheered loudly for their victory, except Sokka, who hung his head.

* * *

Kagemi growled as a pair of chains were shackled onto her by Fire Nation guards. She struggled against their hold as they began to drag her away.

"You cannot do this to me!" She snarled, "I refuse! I will _not_!" She looked back at the princess, glaring, "I will not do this! Do you hear me_?_! You will pay for this!" Azula's face was cold and calculating as they placed a blindfold over Kagemi's eyes, "You will _pay_, Princess!"

"Oh just shut up and go along with it." Azula said, "It will be over before you know it." Kagemi let out a feral roar as she was dragged away by the guards. Ty Lee watched with pitying eyes as she was pulled underground, where Lelabah had just finished the Fire Lord's shelter. Her feet dug into the ground as the fire benders yanked the chains she was attached to.

"I will not be treated this way!" She snarled, her fangs showing as she spoke, "I will not let you do this! You will pay for this, Azula! By the Gods, _you will pay!_!" Her voice was drowned out by the tunnel as she was pulled in.

* * *

Sokka looked sadly at his helmet as everyone below prepared to leave for the invasion. He looked up when he saw Aang flying to him on his new glider.

"We've been looking everywhere for you." Aang said as he landed beside him, "The boats are ready to leave."

"…I messed up, Aang." Sokka said sadly as he looked at the invasion boats.

"What?" Aang asked, not understanding.

"The invasion plan was my moment of truth," Sokka said, "And I completely flubbed it! I just… fell apart."

"Sokka, that speech wasn't your moment of truth." Aang said, "That was just public speaking, and no one's really good at that."

"My dad is." Sokka said, "He explained the plan perfectly and inspired everyone! Like a real leader should…" His shoulders slumped sadly.

"Look, your moment of truth isn't going to be in front of some map." Aang said, "It's going to be out there, on the battlefield."

"You seem so confident about everything." Sokka said, "How do you know we're gonna win?"

"Because I already failed the world once in Ba-Sing-Se." Aang said, "I won't let myself fail again. Not after the price we paid." Sokka's expression softened when Aang mentioned Hoshiko. He nodded in agreement and put on his helmet, walking down to the boats with Aang. He looked around, seeing all the Water Tribe warriors were armored and ready to fight, as were the swamp benders, minus the armor, and the newly armored sand benders, all dressed in different wraps to make them comfortable in the grey and brown armor. Toph was dressed in the traditional Earth Kingdom armor for any earth bender, Katara was ready with her water canteens filled to bursting, and Aang had changed his appearance as well, his head newly shaved and dressed in something similar to his old Air Temple robes. Kotaro wore some armor he had designed and made himself with the left over supplies from Appa's armor. His was all black and grey, save for a small, metal lightning bolt on the chest, the rest of him was a completely dark being, like a living storm cloud.

They all got onto the boats and they shipped off, heading for the Fire Nation capital.

* * *

As the boat rode on the waters of the ocean, Kotaro looked down at the bracelet on his wrist. His eyes softened as he remembered Hoshiko, his _hanbun tamashi_. He sighed as he remembered his last moments with her.

_"…And Kotaro and I will go with Toph to warn the Earth King about Azula's coup." _

_ "What? No. I'm not leaving Hoshiko alone."_

_ "Kota, relax. It's not like I won't come back."_

_ "But… still…" _

_ "Look, if it makes you feel any better, you can hold onto this for me. That way, I have to make sure I come back in order to get it back. Okay?"_

_ "Alright… But you __**will**__ come back, right?"_

_ "Of course. I mean, how bad could it possibly be? I'll be fine. You just worry about yourself." She leaned up on her tiptoes and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. He smiled softly at her and she smiled back._

Kotaro put his hand over the bracelet. His eyes closed as he thought of her. He couldn't let himself fail on this invasion, not because the Fire Nation needed to be brought down, but because Hoshiko, if she was truly dead, was watching him from the Spirit World, and he wouldn't let himself fail. He would fight to the very end. And if Kagemi was in control, then he would find her, and get Hoshiko back. That was his plan for the invasion.

"How close are we to the gates?" He asked Hakoda as he looked out through the telescope.

"Not far." He said, handing him the telescope so he could see for himself, "They're just ahead."

"I don't see any gates." Katara said, looking out into the distance, seeing only a statue of Azulon and a dragon.

"The gates are actually the statues." Kotaro said, "Between them is a very thick net that they set on fire. I doubt any ship would head into _that_." He handed the telescope back to Hakoda, "How are we getting through?"

"Well, if we can't sneak past, then we're going to have to rely on an invention of Sokka's." Hakoda said, he turned to his daughter, "Katara, you and the swamp benders whip up a fog cover."

"We'll sneak by them statues just like we sneaked by that Fire Navy blockade!" Tho said. He and the other water benders got into a good place and used their bending to create a huge fog that surrounded their ships. Everyone was silent as they waited to move past the statues, which were much more visible now.

"Keep it up!" Hakoda said to them, "We're almost through."

A bell began to ring, and smoke puffed out of the dragon's nose. The net began to rise up between the two statues and it was lit soon after, creating a huge wall of fire that was impossible for them to get past on the boats.

"Damn!" Kotaro cursed angrily.

"Everyone below decks!" Hakoda said, having everyone move quickly. He clapped his hand on Sokka's shoulder, "Let's hope this invention of yours works, Sokka." He nodded and they all headed into the submarines that had been hidden on the bottom of the boats. They detached the subs from the boat and the water benders moved the sub under the water while a special engine helped move it forward in the water, moving underneath the gates like five, large, metal fish.

Hakoda smiled at his son, proud of him. "You've really outdone yourself this time, son."

"Yeah," Toph moaned, "Congratulations, Sokka. You've managed to invent a worse way of travel than flying." She looked like she was about to vomit.

"Helmet?" The Duke asked, offering it to her. She took it and soon puked inside it.

"Well, I just came up with the idea." Sokka said, ignoring Toph's seasickness, "The Mechanist did all the work." He smiled at his inventing friend at the wheel.

"Don't sell yourself short, my boy." He said, "It was _your_ idea to use water bending to make the subs sink and float. Brilliant! Though, your original designs were a bit difficult to decipher…" He pulled out a scroll that looked like a grade school child's doodle. Kotaro snorted in laughter when he realized _that_ was Sokka's original design. He rolled it back up, "Unfortunately, there was one problem I couldn't fix. The subs have a limited air supply, before we land on the beaches, we'll need to resurface."

* * *

Nobody protested the need to resurface, in fact, many supported it, eager to get back in the sunshine and enjoy it for what might be their last time. Aang and the others were no exception. Aang was flying around in the air, getting used to his new glider, while the others simply stood at the top of the subs, stretching their limbs. The Duke was off to the side, cleaning out his helmet of Toph's vomit. Aang circled around the main sub and landed near his friends, who all went up to him when he landed. They knew that they wouldn't see him again until after the Fire Lord had been defeated after this.

"So… this is it, huh?" He asked them.

"Are you ready for the Fire Nation to know the avatar's alive?" Sokka asked encouragingly.

Aang looked up at them, determination shining in his eyes, "I'm ready." Sokka reached over and clasped his hand in Aang's in the typical Water Tribe greeting. Then everyone moved around Aang for a group hug.

"We know you can do this, Aang." Kotaro said to Aang.

"I hope you kick some serious Fire Lord butt, Twinkle Toes." Toph said.

"Everyone listen up!" Hakoda's voice came from the main sub, carrying out to the others. "The next time we resurface, we'll be on the beaches. So stay alert and fight smart. Now break time's over, back in the subs!" Everyone began to file back into the sub. As Kotaro headed back in, he could hear the soft tones of Aang and Katara speaking to each other, though he couldn't quite make out what they were saying. As he was about to head in, he saw Aang take Katara's shoulder and pull her in, kissing her.

"About freaking time…" He muttered as he went back in. Aang flew off shortly after, and Katara headed to Appa, getting him ready to submerge with the subs.

* * *

Kagemi sat, blindfolded and chained in a cell. She growled angrily to herself as she moved her hands, feeling the heaviness of the chains on her arms. She wasn't even sure she was in a cell, she just knew that she was underground somewhere. She sat, waiting until Azula's invasion plan took place.

She hissed when she suddenly felt a familiar pain under her eye. With a start, she realized what was happening. Hoshiko was trying to get out again.

"Oh, no you don't!" Kagemi growled quietly, reaching up to move the cracks from her eyes again, only to have them form back. She removed it again, but it still remained. She tried again, and it still remained. "What the hell?" She tried once more, only to fail again. She growled, seeing that she was going to be stubborn about this. Kagemi could only guess the reason she was trying so hard was because she knew today was the invasion and she had a chance of being saved if she made it through. Kagemi, letting her have her moment, let the cracks remain, but did not let them grow any further. Once the invasion was ended by the fire benders, she would still be there, ready to fight for the Fire Nation. She refused to let them lose and have her give up her body. Not now, not ever.

* * *

Everyone waited as they went further into the Fire Nation. Hakoda looked out through a periscope and saw that they were approaching the beaches.

"Everyone in position!" He ordered, "Earth benders, into your tanks! This is going to be a rough ride." Everyone did as he ordered the earth benders going to the specially designed tanks, and everyone else going to either help man the torpedoes on the submarines or getting their weapons. Everyone waited for the Fire Nation to be alerted of their arrival. And they soon were found, the Fire Nation firing off something similar to harpoons at them as they moved through the water, the drivers of the subs had to maneuver carefully to avoid them.

Once they got past that, it was just a matter of getting through a wall that bordered them from the beaches, but they were ready for it.

"Ready the torpedoes." Hakoda ordered, and they were readied, each one frozen in ice so a water bender could shoot them out of the hull of the submarine with ease, "Launch!" The torpedoes fired and blasted through metal fencing in the walls, giving them three holes perfect for them to travel through to the beach. They began to move through the water to the shore. Then, there was nothing, just silence. You could hear a pin drop in the quietness of it all. Everyone's heart was pounding with adrenaline. Sokka hated it, _What was it Hoshiko had said?_ He thought to himself, thinking of his short time with her at the Northern Water Tribe, _The stillness before battle is unbearable._

It _was_ unbearable, everyone was itching for an attack, either theirs, or the enemies, just so this crazed feeling would end. Their wish was granted when they were fired at by the Fire Nation soldiers as soon as they surfaced. They fired endlessly as they set themselves on the shore. The hull of the subs opened up and tanks began traveling out, filled with powerful earth benders. The warriors moved with them, letting out war cries as they ran out onto the beach, moving between the tanks so they wouldn't get the brunt of the blows that were being delivered to them. Boulders were given to the earth benders from the tanks, which they readily fired at the buildings that were shooting at them, disabling their weapons, if only temporarily. Seeing they had to step it up, the Fire Nation soldiers brought out tanks of their own and started shooting jets of blazing fire at the invasion force. The Earth Kingdom tanks were more than capable of taking them out, their special designs allowing them to move up, like a caterpillar, and come crashing down on the Fire Nation tanks, destroying it.

When tanks came from behind them, the swamp benders made themselves useful by taking buckets of water and using them to crash one tank into another. Kotaro was right alongside them, shooting out bolts of lightning at any tanks they missed.

"We're a man down!" Tho said to his brother, "Where in tarnation is _Huu?_!" He fired off again, and Kotaro was amazed as he saw a huge beast made of seaweed rise out of the water. It easily took out three tanks in a matter of minutes. It smashed one tank on top of another, threw the next into the water, and threw a fourth one into one of the buildings that had been shooting at them.

"Hey Huu!" Du called out to it, shocking Kotaro further, "Where you been?"

Kotaro gaped as he saw the inside of the beast open up to reveal Huu's smiling face, "Communin' with nature." He said, "It takes a while to get this much seaweed." He quickly closed the seaweed back up as another tank fired at him. Kotaro was quick to act, building up his lightning powers and firing off a bolt at the tank. The power of the blast burned the metal on the tank, leaving a huge black mark, but also incapacitated the fire benders within. When he was finished, he heard a low whistle and looked back at Tho and Du.

"You sure got some mighty good aim!" Tho complimented.

"Thanks." Kotaro said shortly, running to take out another tank.

The warriors at the front were quick to challenge the soldiers on rhinos. Sokka took out one of the soldiers by splitting his spear in half with his black sword, and he knocked the man over and took his rhino. He looked over at his father, and saw that he was easily battling five Fire Benders at once, taking them out one at a time, disarming one, then knocking out another, then using the spears he had taken from the soldiers to take out the ones firing at him. Sokka had the rhino move towards his father, and he grabbed onto the saddle, letting his son pull him back to their troops.

As well as they were doing, the Fire Nationers still seemed to have the advantage as the battlements along the walls continued to fire at them, taking out one of their tanks, Huu's sea beasts' arm, the boulder distributing machine that the mechanist was driving.

"Sokka, we've got to take out those battlements." Hakoda said to him, "It's our only chance."

Sokka looked up at the battlements, his brow furrowing as he formed a plan, "I've got an idea."

* * *

Moments later, he was hanging from Appa's horn with Katara and Kotaro riding in the saddle, as well as Hakoda. They went to the air to take out the battlements before they could take out the rest of their invasion force. Sokka used his blade to cut the battlement weapon, rendering it useless. Hakoda threw special hand bombs into the battlements, destroying the weapons, and incapacitating the soldiers inside. Kotaro used his lightning bending to take out the weapons, shooting out a bolt at the weapon, the force of it causing to explode. Katara used water from barrels that had been set on either side of Appa to freeze the soldiers inside the battlements to the walls, giving them plenty of time to continue the invasion without their interference. Finally, it came down to the last two battlements, and they landed Appa.

"Sokka, you and Katara take out that battlement." Hakoda pointed to the one on his right, "Kotaro and I will take this one. Watch each other's backs." The two nodded and went to do as Hakoda ordered, and Kotaro followed the Water Tribe warrior to the other battlement. Hakoda climbed the wall, planning on going in through the roof to sneak up on them, but Kotaro decided to take a different route. He kicked open the doors of the battlement, and immediately the soldiers' attention was on him. They fired at him, and Kotaro fired a small bolt at the first one. It wasn't enough electrocution to kill him, but it was enough to temporarily paralyze him. Hakoda moved in through the opening to destroy the weapon, but the second soldier caught on, and just as Hakoda threw a hand bomb to take it out, the soldier blasted it with his fire, and it exploded. It did serious damage to the weapon and the soldier, making them no longer able to fight, but Hakoda was hurt as well. The bomb was too close to him for him not to avoid getting hit, and the sheer shockwave of the bomb seriously injured him. He grasped his side, his face contorting to one of pain.

"Hakoda!" Kotaro shouted, quickly going to catch the man before he fell. He draped the man's arm over his shoulder and they walked out of the battlement as best they could. Once they were outside, Kotaro saw Katara and Sokka looking at their father worriedly.

"Dad?" Katara called to him, he didn't answer her.

"Dad!" Sokka cried. They both ran to their father, and Kotaro started walking towards them. Sokka was instantly by his side, taking his father's other arm and putting it over his shoulders. They both walked to Appa, and Katara flew them back down to the battlefield. Once they were down, they took Hakoda out of the saddle and lay him on the ground. Katara had her water wrap around her hands, and she pressed them to her father's stomach, her hands glowing as she began to try and heal him.

"How does that feel, Dad?" She asked.

"A… A little better…" Hakoda said, forcing the words out. He pushed himself up, "I have to… get back to the troops…" Kotaro pushed him back down.

"You're hurt. Badly." He said, "You're in no condition to keep fighting."

"Everyone's counting on me to… lead this mission, Kotaro!" Hakoda said, "I won't let them down…!" He pushed himself up again, only to let out a cry of pain.

Sokka looked to his sister worriedly, "Can't you heal him any faster?"

"I'm doing everything I can." Katara said, placing her hands back on her father's wound.

Sokka looked at his father, then away, thinking for a moment. This invasion meant everything. It was the best chance they had to take down the Fire Lord. They couldn't just let this chance slip through their fingers because their leader was injured, they needed someone to take his place, just until the eclipse started.

"I'll do it." Sokka said.

"No offense, Sokka, but you're not exactly 'Mr. Healing Hands'." Katara said.

"No." Sokka stood up, "I'll lead the invasion force."

"Sokka, don't be an idiot." Kotaro said quickly, "Taking on an entire invasion force on your own when you have no experience is just crazy!"

"Maybe I _am_ a little crazy." Sokka said, "But the eclipse is about to start, and we need to be up that volcano by the time it does."

"You can do this." Hakoda said, getting their attention, "I'm proud of you, son."

"I also think you're being an idiot." Katara said, she looked up at Sokka with a smile, "But I'm proud of you, too." Sokka smiled at her. He put his helmet on his head and climbed up so he could take Appa's reigns.

"Kotaro, I'm gonna need you at the front lines." Sokka said. The wolf Shinjun sighed, but got up. He wasn't going to let this invasion pass through his fingers. He needed to have a little faith in Sokka. He designed the battle plans, he came up with the idea to invade during a solar eclipse, maybe he could lead an army, too.

Kotaro climbed up and got in the saddle and they took off. They flew over the battlefield, where they could see their soldiers fighting against the fire benders. They landed Appa in front of a tank, and he knocked it aside with an angry growl. Kotaro made to get out of the saddle, but Sokka motioned for him to stay. He stood up and raised his voice so all his soldiers could hear him.

"Listen up, everyone!" He shouted, "I want the tanks in wedge formation! Benders and warriors in the middle! We're taking that tower and heading for the royal palace!"

"What about me?" Kotaro asked.

"You stay here." Sokka said, "You're our most powerful bender at this moment, and we need you at the front to help take down any more tanks efficiently and easily." Kotaro nodded, and went to stand on Appa's head, using his horns to hang on to the bison as everyone got into position. Once they were ready, Sokka pulled out his sword and shouted, "_Charge!_!" Everyone let out a war cry as they headed for the tower, not letting anyone stand in their way. Fire benders ran away from the tanks as they moved up to the tower.

One of the smaller tanks had an entire arsenal of blasting jelly and they drove it straight into the wall, blasting a hole through it. Kotaro did the same to the other wall, blasting through it with a powerful lightning bolt. The warriors and benders let out roars as they charged in, the soldiers of the Fire Nation taking a few steps back to keep space between them, and to keep together so as to better face this army.

"The Fire Nation is falling back!" Haru's father cried, going after the soldiers.

Bato looked up at where Kotaro and Sokka were, his eyes resting on the son of his good friend.

"Sokka, we're on our way to victory!" He said to him, pointing to where the volcano rested in the distance. Sokka looked up at the volcano, knowing that Aang must have arrived there by now, and he was probably challenging the Fire Lord at that very moment.

* * *

Aang flew down to the capital, landing on the roof of one of the homes in the town, doing his best not to be noticed. He looked up from where he was hiding, and saw that the streets were completely empty, and the city was totally silent.

"That's strange…" He noted aloud. He let the thought leave his mind so he could focus on the mission and flew up high into the air, heading straight for the royal palace. He charged towards the front doors and blasted them open with air bending, when inside, he took a fighting stance and said, "The avatar is back!" Surprisingly, no guards attacked him. In fact, there were no guards at all. The front hall of the palace was completely empty. He relaxed his stance and started walking through the halls of the palace, "Hello? Anybody home?" No response. Maybe they're all down at the front lines to protect from the invasion force?

He walked further in, and when he reached the throne room, he prepared himself. He blasted through and went in, expecting the Fire Lord to fire at him immediately. But what he saw only surprised him. The throne room was as empty as the capital city, and there were no guards to be found. The Fire Lord's throne sat just ahead of him, with no Fire Lord there.

"No…" Aang murmured, his hands going loose and dropping his new staff. He fell to his knees, "No, no, _no_!" He grit his teeth in frustration, balling up his hands into fists. They had come all this way… and the Fire Lord wasn't even _there?_!

"Fire Lord Ozai…_Where are you?_!"


	34. The Day of Black Sun Part 2: The Eclipse

34

The battle raged on between the fire benders and the invasion force. The tanks had been set up as something of a barrier to protect the warriors and the benders. Inside, they were able to defend against the brunt of the fire ball attacks that were being fired at them, and fire back with earth bending, or Kotaro's lightning bending. He fired off a particularly powerful bolt at one of the catapults, setting its wooden workings on fire. Sokka, who was near him at the time it fired, grimaced at the rumble that came from it. He looked up when he saw someone coming through the doors of the tower they had taken, and saw Katara walking with Hakoda leaning on her shoulder.

"Dad!" Sokka cried happily, running over to him, "You're back on your feet!"

"Thanks to your sister," Hakoda said, "I'm in no shape to fight, but maybe there's some way I can help." Katara carefully helped him to sit down.

"Everything's going smoothly," Sokka said, "And the eclipse hasn't even kicked in yet."

"Let's hope our luck holds out." Hakoda said.

Katara, staring off at the sky, walked forward a few steps. Kotaro looked at her oddly.

"You okay, Katara? You seem distracted." He said.

"Yeah… is that- is that Aang?" She asked.

"What?" Sokka asked in shock. Everyone looked up to see that Aang was, indeed, flying over the battlefield in his glider, easily maneuvering around the flying fireballs and boulders to get to them. "Please tell me you're here because the Fire Lord turned out to be a big wimp and you didn't even need the eclipse to take him down."

"He wasn't home." Aang said, "No one was. The entire palace city is abandoned."

Kotaro's eyes widened in realization, "They knew."

Aang hung his head, "It's over. The Fire Lord is probably long gone, far away on some remote island where he'll be safe during the eclipse."

"No." Sokka said, "My instincts tell me he wouldn't go too far. He would have a secret bunker, somewhere he could go and be safe during a siege, but still be close enough to lead his nation."

"If it's an underground secret bunker we're looking for," Toph began, having listened in on every word that was said, "I'm just the girl to find it."

"The mechanist gave me this timing device," Sokka said, pulling out a small octagonal object, "It looks like we've got ten minutes until the full eclipse. Ten minutes to find the Fire Lord."

"We can still do this." Aang said, a hopeful smile on his face, "We can still win the day."

"Wait." Katara said, "If they knew we were coming, it could all be a trap. Maybe we should use the time we have left to make sure we all get out of here safely."

"Everyone who's here today came ready to risk everything for this mission." Hakoda said, "They know what's at stake. If there's still a chance, and there's still hope, I think they would want Aang to go for it." Sokka turned to Aang.

"What do you think?" He asked, "You're the one that has to face the Fire Lord. Whatever you decide, I'm with you."

Aang thought for a moment, and then stood up, looking back at the volcano, "I've got to try."

"I'll go with you." Kotaro said, "If Toph has any trouble figuring out who's who, my nose should be able to tell the difference." Sokka nodded.

"Then let's go." He said, they all got on Appa, and they flew up high, heading towards the volcano, but not to the city within. They landed on the side. Toph was the first one down, feeling the vibrations of the ground beneath her to get a feel for where everything was.

"Do you feel anything down there?" Aang asked.

"Yep. There are natural tunnels crisscrossing through the inside of the volcano." Toph said.

"Anything else?" Sokka asked, "Is there a structure somewhere?" Toph moved and jammed her fingers into the ground, feeling the vibrations deeper inside.

"There's something big, dense, and made of metal deep in the heart of the volcano." Toph said.

"Sounds like a secret bunker to me." Kotaro said. Toph stood up and made a tunnel to let them travel into the volcano. Aang turned to Appa and Momo, who looked at him curiously.

"Stay safe. We'll be back soon." Aang promised before following Toph, Sokka, and Kotaro underground. Toph knelt down, feeling the natural floor underneath her, then got up and ran.

"This way! That one's a dead end!" She said, the others quickly followed her.

"What would we do without you?" Sokka asked happily as he ran.

"Perish in burning hot magma." Toph said as they passed by an area where lava was slowly falling down into a small vein of magma that popped out of the volcano walls.

"Yeah, pretty much." Sokka said, jumping back against the wall when he saw it. Kotaro grimaced and held his nose as they went further in, smelling the strong scent of burning rock and sulfur all throughout the volcano. As they kept going, they came to a place where the ground was brittle, and unstable, holes in the ground were allowing lava to come spewing up, like a burning geyser.

"The tunnel continues on the other side," Toph said, "And it leads right to the bunker."

"We'll have to be fast, but careful." Sokka said, as he stepped out onto the ground, a pillar of lava shot up, and he fell back with a surprised yelp. Aang quickly used his air bending to cool the lava, making it solid and unable to move.

"How is that careful?" He asked Sokka.

"I was wrong," Sokka said, standing up, "We need to be fast, careful, and _lucky_." They all ran together, carefully avoiding the places where lava was shooting upwards into the air as they ran. On the other side, the ground continued on only for a few feet. It was a cliff, and below them was a huge river of burning magma that churned as it moved within the earth.

"There's no floor!" Sokka said in shock, "It's just a river of lava."

"How are we supposed to get across _that?_!" Kotaro asked. Aang pulled out his glider, opening up the wings.

"Climb aboard and hold on tight." He said, "I can take two at a time, I'll come back for whoever's left."

"Forget it, Twinkle Toes." Toph said, "We don't have that kind of time. You take Sokka and Wolfy across the lava on your glider, I'll get across on my own."

"You're sure?" Kotaro asked, "With the lava flowing through this place, one wrong earth bending move could burn you alive."

"I think I can bend my own path of earth without getting burned to death." Toph said, sounding a little insulted. Kotaro rolled his eyes, knowing he couldn't argue with her.

"Okay, Toph." Aang said. Kotaro and Sokka grabbed onto the back of the glider as Aang prepared, "Ready?" The two boys nodded and he jumped off, quickly flying over the river of lava with them on board. It was difficult to fly with the extra weight, but Aang managed it. Toph quickly built a small set of stairs just to the side of the cliff she stood on and quickly ran across it, hoping she was able to keep up with Aang as he flew.

Aang made it to the other side just before Toph did. Once they were all together, they kept running through the tunnel. As they rounded a corner, they saw a huge metal dome at least a hundred feet in height, with a door that was at least twenty feet tall.

"That's _some_ door!" Sokka said, gaping at it.

Toph went up to the door and knocked on it, listening, then stepped back, "Not a problem." She ran at the door, hit it four times, making huge dents in the metal, then stepped back, kissing her fingers as she ran at it again and pierced through the metal and was able to peel it open like it was aluminum foil. Once she was through, she pointed in the direction the Fire Lord might be hiding, and they all ran in.

"I am so _glad_ we added you to the group!" Sokka said happily as he ran behind Kotaro. They quickly ran through the tunnels inside the bunker. "Any idea where the Fire Lord is?"

"Nope. There are tons of metal mini chambers in this place." Toph said, "I have no idea which one might be his." Kotaro lifted his head up suddenly, sniffing the air with a furrowed brow.

"What is it?" Sokka asked.

"…I smell nobility." Kotaro said as they ran. Soon, they passed by an area were their tunnel merged with another, and a man dressed in noble Fire Nation robes happened to be walking by. He gasped at the sight of him, and they all turned to him, ready to fight. The man quickly raised up his arms in surrender, a fearful expression on his face.

"The Fire Lord's chamber is that way, down the hall, to the left, and up the stairs. You can't miss it!" He said quickly, fearing for his life against the avatar and his companions. They all approached him with angry glares.

Aang smiled suddenly and politely said, "Thanks." To the man before running down the hall he had pointed to, following his directions. Once they were gone, the man let out a breath of relief, looked around to see if anyone had spotted him helping the avatar, then turned and continued walking, as if he hadn't just committed treason by giving away the location of the Fire Lord's chambers.

* * *

After a few minutes of running, Sokka pulled out his timing device and saw that the eclipse was almost here.

"Only thirty seconds until the total eclipse!" He said to Aang, telling him they needed to hurry. They soon approached a smaller metal bunker with big red doors, the Fire Nation symbol on the top of the door. Aang stopped, taking a deep breath.

"I'm ready." He said, "I'm ready to face the Fire Lord." He used his air bending to blast the metal doors open and off its hinges. What they saw made their jaws drop.

"So. You are alive after all." Azula said as she sat calmly on her father's throne. "I had a hunch that you survived. But it doesn't matter. I've known about the invasion for months." Aang's jaw shut and he glared at the Fire Nation princess.

"Where is he?" He demanded, "Where's the Fire Lord?"

"Hmm, you mean I'm not good enough for you?" Azula said as she stood up, "You're hurting my feelings." She gently flipped her hair, and Kotaro caught a whiff of a scent that lingered on her person. His eyes widened when he recognized it, but said nothing.

"Stop wasting our time!" Sokka said, "Give us the information. You're powerless right now, so you're in no position to refuse!"

"And stick to the truth." Toph said, "I'll be able to tell if you're lying."

"Are you sure?" Azula asked, "I'm a pretty good liar." She stared them straight in the face as she said, "I am a four hundred foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings."

Toph paused, feeling the vibrations in the earth, and barely felt the physical reaction of Azula's blatant lie, "…Okay, you're good. I admit it. But you really oughta-" She jumped back when Kotaro suddenly fired off a lightning bolt at the princess. "Kotaro! What the hell_?_!"

"Where is she?" Kotaro asked, his voice deadly calm as he glared daggers at the princess. Everyone looked at him oddly, but with fear. On his face was the most terrifying expression they had ever seen. He looked ready to torture the princess until her dying breath, and just when she was about to die, rip out her heart and show it to her face.

"Who?" Azula asked, a confident smirk on her face.

"You know damn well who!" Kotaro snarled, a wolf-like growl mixing with his words. "I smelled her scent on you!"

"Kotaro, what are you talking about?" Aang asked.

"I smelled it." He said, "It was only for a second, but I know it was hers. The scent I've known almost all my life, the scent of the person dearest to me," His eyes narrowed even more, "Her scent is on your body!"

Sokka glanced uneasily at Aang and Toph, who looked just as worried as he was, "Kotaro… Hoshiko's dead. She died in Ba-Sing-Se." Sokka said softly.

"On the contrary," Azula began as she picked up a chain that rested on the throne and curled around behind it, "The Shinjun girl is very much _alive_." She yanked it, and a blindfolded body came stumbling out from behind the throne. It was a panther Shinjun girl, with shoulder-length black hair, a long tail, all dressed in black and red clothes, which looked a little tattered. Her wrists were bound in chains, and she was blindfolded. Everyone's jaws dropped further when they saw their long dead friend standing before them as Azula's prisoner.

"Kotaro…?" She asked in a weak voice. "I-Is that you? She's blindfolded me, I can't see anything."

"Hoshiko!" Kotaro said, his heart breaking at the sight of the one he loved most bound in chains.

"I don't understand!" Sokka exclaimed, greatly confused, "I thought you died in Ba-Sing-Se!"

"I didn't die," Hoshiko said, "I let Kagemi have control so we would be able to beat Azula and Zuko, but I gave her too much control, and she ended up becoming Azula's servant. Just before I was put in this place, I was able to get my body back. This is the first time I've been in control of this body since we left Ba-Sing-Se."

"There you have it." Azula said. Kotaro snarled and brought up his hand, sparks flying from his fingers.

"Let her go!" He growled.

"Surrender, and I just might." Azula said.

"You're in no position to bargain." Sokka said, holding out his sword.

"Actually, I believe I am." Azula said as she pulled a knife out of her sleeve and held it to Hoshiko's throat, grabbing her by the roots of her hair, "Drop your weapons or she dies." Kotaro's eyes darkened angrily. He was too overcome by emotion to listen to her words, and fired off a lightning bolt at her. She barely avoided it, having to release Hoshiko as a result of it.

Toph quickly bended the earth beneath Hoshiko's feet and brought her over to them where she was safe. Kotaro quickly took her in his arms, holding her to him, breathing in as much of her as he could in one breath.

"Are you okay?" He asked, she nodded, "Toph, can you get her cuffs, I'll get the blindfold."

Sokka looked up at Azula, who simply stood there, watching the scene with a smirk on his face. Something wasn't right about this… Why would she just give up her hostage like that?

Toph metal bent the metal off Hoshiko's wrists just as Kotaro took the blindfold off her. Her eyes opened to reveal white pupils on black eyes, and he jumped back as a grin came across her face.

"Toph, get back!" He shouted, grabbing the earth bender as a group of shadows came up from the ground, piercing the area where they had just been.

She laughed softly as she stood up, "Thanks ever so much Kota!" Kagemi said in false happiness, "I can't tell you how uncomfortable it was in those chains."

"Kagemi!" Kotaro growled angrily.

"How've you been?" Kagemi asked, "The last time I saw you was when I scarred your handsome face." Kotaro's hand unconsciously went to the scar above his eye when she mentioned it.

"Wait, what's going on?" Sokka asked, "Who's Kagemi? What happened to Hoshiko?"

"Oh, that's right, she never told you, did she?" Kagemi said, looking at Sokka, still grinning, "Even the dimmest of lights should know that every shadow bender is born with a _ni-nin_, another part of them that's the source of their power. I'm Hoshiko's. My name is Kagemi, and I _hate_ all of you." Her shadows surrounded her protectively as she grinned at them.

"Where's Hoshiko?" Toph demanded.

"Locked away, never to be seen again." Kagemi said with an evil grin, "You see, I only come into control when she wishes me to. And when I do, it's for a limited amount of time set be her. This time, there was no time limit, and since we didn't win, I didn't have to go back. Hoshiko remains in the place I was locked up, inside her subconscious, or should I say, _my_ subconscious. I've been in control since Ba-Sing-Se, and will stay in control and serve the royal Fire Nation family."

"You should be ashamed." Kotaro said.

"And yet, here I stand, shameless and in command." Kagemi replied, "I think that's enough chatter." She waved her hands forward, and the shadows jumped to life, zooming straight for them. They all jumped back, and Toph put up a protective barrier of earth to keep them all from getting hit. "Ah-ah-ah!" Kagemi's shadows began moving through the earth she had pulled up, shocking Toph immensely. It pierced through and shot at her, but Kotaro was quick and grabbed Toph before the shadows could reach her. "Don't underestimate my power. I am the source of Hoshiko's abilities, I know every move possible, and all the moves she doesn't. I am _stronger_ than her!" She shot her shadows at them again, and Aang deflected them as best he could with air bending, using wind to push them back, away from him. He looked at Kagemi, and his eyes widened when he saw little black cracks underneath her eyes.

_Like Hikaru…_ He thought. When he landed on the ground, he shouted, "Toph! Make a shelter!" Not sure why he wanted this, but not going to go against him, Toph did as he asked, Sokka and Kotaro hiding with her as Aang flew towards them.

* * *

The tanks and warriors traveled up the side of the volcano, the eclipse steadily moving onward. The world was dimmed without the sun's light, but they still moved forward. Everyone was wearing special eclipse glasses so they could look directly at the eclipse without the risk of blinding themselves. Inside the volcano lay the capital city, Bato led the troops forward.

"Surround the periphery!" He shouted, "We have to secure the palace before the eclipse is over! Otherwise, we'll be in for the fight of our lives!" The tanks and soldiers moved past him, Xana and her brothers running past him as well. They ran down to the capital city, moving quickly through the buildings. A small platoon of Fire Nation soldiers soon stood in their path, and they all took fighting stances.

"Stop!" Makozo shouted at them, "Surrender peacefully, and we won't harm you!"

"We will never surrender!" One of the soldiers shouted, he jumped forward, making a few moves to prepare a fire bending attack, but when he held out his hands to strike, a tiny spark only came out, showing that he was completely powerless. He looked back at the other soldiers, and they all held out their wrists to them, "Okay, we surrender."

"Hope you don't mind us using our own cuffs." Xana said, as she and her brothers raised their hands up high, the ground rumbling beneath them for a moment. The stone pavement of the city cracked, and high towers of sand sprung up from the ground. The sand moved up and around the soldiers, encasing their wrists and suddenly hardening into thick, solid cuffs of earth. They grabbed the soldiers and had them move with their troops.

"Don't you just love that thick layer of sand underneath all ground?" Xenak asked his brother, Haxen.

"More than my own mother." Haxen replied, the two brothers sharing a high-five and a laugh.

"Come on, guys," Farx said to them as Makozo continued to direct them on, "We need to keep moving and secure the palace." The two brothers nodded and followed the rest of their family as they kept going through the city.

At the top of the volcano, just arriving on the battle scene was Katara, her father still leaning on her shoulder.

"There it is." Hakoda said, "The Fire Nation royal palace. We've come so far."

"It's not over yet." Katara said. They continued onward, wanting to see this invasion to the end.

* * *

"You cannot hide from me!" Kagemi said, taking her shadows up and bringing them down on the shelter, trying to break through it. Everyone sat inside the shelter.

"Why are we here?" Sokka asked, "It'll only be a matter of time until she breaks through this!"

"I know, but we can bring Hoshiko back." Aang said, shocking everyone but Kotaro.

"Kagemi's in a steady control." Kotaro said, "It'll take hours to get her back, and we don't have that kind of time."

"It might not take that long." Aang said.

"That might be true, but we still need to find the Fire Lord." Sokka said, "The eclipse is happening now! We can't waste time here."

"But it's Hoshiko!" Aang said pointedly, he looked at Kotaro, "You should be the one who wants her back the most!"

Kotaro paused, trying to ignore the constant sound of banging on the outside of their shelter, "I _do_ want Hoshiko back, but I want this war to end more than that. We can get her back at another time." Aang frowned at his answer. "Look, how's this for a plan, you go after Azula, I'll take her on myself. I should be able to give you enough time to find Ozai."

"I'm not losing anyone else in this battle." Aang said firmly.

"You won't." Kotaro said, "I'll be fine."

"Time's up!" Kagemi's voice shouted from outside the shelter, her shadows finally breaking through the stone. Everyone jumped back as a sharp shadowy tendril came in and pierced the ground. She pierced through again and again, and they somehow miraculously avoided the blows, "Come on! If you're not gonna send the avatar out to fight me, then at least give me the little wolf boy! I've been waiting to kick his ass for years!" Kotaro looked out through one of the holes she had made and saw her grinning evilly, her shadows surrounding her protectively. He took a careful look at her form, and frowned.

"Something's off about this…" He muttered.

"Huh?" Toph was unsure of what he meant.

"Toph, fire off some boulders at her." Kotaro said. When she looked a little hesitant, he explained what he wanted to do, "There's something off about Kagemi, and I think I might know what it is, but I need to test it first."

"Okay, if you think so." Toph said, she removed the shelter, and used its remains as projectiles to fire at Kagemi. Her shadows easily pierced through each projectile, crushing it before it could hit her. Kotaro, seeing this, decided to do the other half of his test on his own. He ran at her, his lightning charging up to fire. It wasn't enough power to seriously injure or kill her, but it would be enough to hurt. He ran at Kagemi, and she jumped out of the way before he could touch her. He ran at her again, and again she jumped back, her shadows following her. He ran at her once more, and she jumped back. She gave him an odd look, knowing that it would be better for him to fight at long distance, so why was he so insistent on getting so close to her?

Kotaro stopped, a grin suddenly forming on his face, "I think I see now."

"See what?" Kagemi asked.

"You can't hurt us." Kotaro said. Kagemi jumped.

"What? Of course I can hurt you!" She said instantly, a grin coming on her face.

"Has anyone else noticed that, in all the attacks she's shot at us," Kotaro said, speaking to the others, but keeping his eyes on Kagemi, "She hasn't so much as scratched us? Even though her aim was perfect enough to take out all those boulders that Toph shot at her?" Everyone looked at Kagemi, who was glaring fiercely at Kotaro, her teeth grinding in anger and frustration.

"_Shut up_!" She screamed, waving her hand forward and having her shadows claw at him, breaking through the armor Kotaro wore and scarring his chest. He let out a grunt as he jumped back, avoiding them as best he could. He looked at Kagemi, who seemed to wait on something for a moment, then smiled in something similar to relief, "See? I have no limits! I can kill you!" She stopped when the cracks on her face suddenly grew down to her jaw and along her temples, turning white as they did. Her eyes were wide, and she seemed silent for a moment, then let out a shriek, her hands at her face, "No! _No_! Go away!" Her body trembled, and Azula watched her carefully as everyone waited to see what would happen.

"Shoot… me…" A voice came from Kagemi's throat, but it certainly wasn't hers. Kotaro felt his heart pounding as he saw her lift up her head, and saw blue eyes shining against the darkness, instead of white ones. "Kota… shoot me… with lightning…" She let out a groan, and she covered her face again, hunching over in pain.

"You stupid bitch!" Kagemi cursed, "Stay down! I won't let you take over so easily! Stay down!" She looked up, glaring at Kotaro, and raised her hand, poised to attack, but she cried out in pain again. She lifted her head once more and blue eyes shone brightly.

"Kotaro, shoot!" Hoshiko shouted at him, "Fire now!"

"Shut up!" Kagemi growled, her eyes suddenly returning, "Go away! I had you locked up! Go away!"

"But…" Kotaro seemed to actually consider the idea of firing at her, but he didn't want to harm Hoshiko while she was still hiding away in Kagemi's body.

"Do it now!" Hoshiko shouted.

"Don't you dare!" Kagemi snarled.

Kotaro, unsure of what to do, began bending up a bolt of lightning and fired it at Kagemi. She raised her hand, her shadows somehow blocking the blow and holding it back before it could hit her, but the stream of lightning was continuous. He watched as Kagemi's shadows began to turn white at the top, and he watched as a form came out of the shadows, looking like a white shadow of Hoshiko as she rested at the top of Kagemi's shadows.

"Don't stop!" She shouted at him. She raised her arms, and Kagemi watched in horror as her shadows began to turn against her, wrapping around her without stopping the shadow that was blocking Kotaro's lightning. She tried to move it away, but it wouldn't obey her. The shadows were under someone else's control now. The cracks on Kagemi's face grew, covering her neck and shoulders as well as growing across her forehead. The cracks continued to grow across her arms and cover her hands, her torso, her legs and her feet. She looked at them fearfully, knowing she couldn't get rid of them without stopping the shadow that was blocking the lightning stream. Kotaro looked up at Hoshiko, and saw her smile apologetically at him. He looked at her fearfully, not knowing why she was looking at him like that, and then she waved her hand, white shadows covering Kagemi's black one and stopping the lightning block. The lightning, now free to move, went straight for its target, and hit Kagemi right at the place where her neck and shoulder connected. She let out a shriek and all the shadows, including the one that Hoshiko had taken form in, began to disintegrate. Just before her form disappeared, she shouted at Kagemi, "You broke your promise long ago! I'm taking my body back!"

There was a bright flash of light that filled the entire chamber, and everyone held up their hands to cover their eyes to avoid blindness, except for Toph, who shielded herself from the heat of the bright light. When the light died down, Kotaro looked to see a swaying body with a huge scar at the place he had struck the body. Hoshiko lifted up her head, and Kotaro felt relief flood through him at the sight of Hoshiko's blue eyes. She gave him a weak smile.

"Thank you…" She murmured, before her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell to the ground. Any relief that Kotaro had suddenly turned to a horrible, gut-wrenching fear that he may have taken her life with his lightning.

"_No_!" He shouted, running over to her body. He gently cradled her head in his grasp and he looked at her, his eyes welling up in fearful tears. He didn't want to say they were tears of mourning until he was absolutely sure that he had done the unthinkable. "Hoshiko." He patted her cheek, "Hoshiko, wake up." She didn't move, she only lay there. "No… Hoshiko, please." His tears began to fall and landed on her cheeks, "Please… wake up."

Toph's eyes began to fill with tears as well as she realized what had happened. Sokka leaned in close to her, "Toph, can you feel her heartbeat?"

Toph moved her foot along the ground, trying to feel the vibrations, and she told him in a broken voice "…No."

Kotaro heard them and he let out a small sound that sounded like he was trying to hold back his tears, "Gods, what have I done?" He pulled Hoshiko's body to him, "Hoshiko…"

"What a beautiful little love story." Azula said, catching Kotaro's attention, "A shame it didn't last longer. I think a long and painful death would have been much more fitting to the end of this tragedy." Kotaro turned and glared at her.

"_Damn you_!" He shouted at her, and jumped up, sparks flying from his fingertips. Before it could touch her, a slab of earth came out and blocked it from hitting her. All four of them stood there, stunned, as Azula casually brushed off any dust from her armor.

"When I left Ba-Sing-Se, I brought home some souvenirs." She said, from above to green clad earth benders appeared before them. All but Kotaro recognized them, "Dai Lee agents."

Seeing that Azula was now getting a little serious, Aang shot off a blast of air at her that was quickly blocked by the Dai Lee agents. And so the battle began. Aang destroyed the earth they had brought up and he and Toph ran at them, Sokka did the same, but he was promptly blocked by the huge stone wall, which still stood. He ran by Kotaro, and saw he was still holding Hoshiko's body, soundless tears flowing down his cheeks. He looked back at the battle and at the wall. He knew he wouldn't be able to climb it in time, so he went to his friend's side.

"Kotaro…" He put his hand on his shoulder, and Kotaro remained still, the tears still coming, "There's nothing we can do."

"I killed her." Kotaro said softly, the tears flowing a little faster, "I killed Hoshiko…"

"It's hard to lose someone you love," Sokka said, "And we can mourn later, but right now, we have a battle to fight." Kotaro looked at him, the tears still running down his face. Sokka felt sympathy well up inside him for his friend. "We'll hold a proper memorial service. It's the least we can do to honor her." Kotaro nodded, leaning down and pressing a single kiss to Hoshiko's lips before gently putting her down on the ground and jumping up, wiping away his tears. He and Sokka headed for the wall, and Kotaro quickly climbed up to the hole Aang had made when he went past it, and jumped back when he saw Azula coming through the same hole. She went over him with a confident smirk, and Kotaro felt his insides burn in hatred. Kagemi had served her with all the loyalty she had, and when she had died, she had felt _nothing_?

He growled and went after her, ignoring the fact that there was only one Dai Lee agent now, and ignoring Aang, Toph, and Sokka as they followed behind.

"I can't pin her down!" Aang said to Toph, "She's too quick!" Kotaro snarled as a Dai Lee agent ran past him and sealed up the entrance to the chambers as he and Azula ran out. Kotaro blasted through it with his lightning and ran after Azula. A large piece of earth shot out of the wall and jabbed into the Dai Lee agent that followed Azula and knocked him into a metal bar that helped to hold up the bunker. She went over and used her metal bending to trap him inside. Kotaro ran past her, heading straight for Azula, Aang and Toph just behind him, Sokka bringing up the end.

Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he called out, "Wait! Guys, stop!" They did as he asked, though Kotaro looked very angry about it. "Don't you see what she's doing? She's just playing with us! She's not even trying to win this fight."

"Not true!" Azula said, faking a tone of offense, "I'm giving it my all."

"You're trying to keep us here and waste all our time!" Toph said, realizing the same thing Sokka had.

"Um, right, I think your friend just said that, Genius." Azula said, "And since you can't see, I should tell you, I'm rolling my eyes."

"I'll roll your whole _head_!" Toph growled.

"She's just baiting you again!" Sokka said quickly.

"So… what do we do?" Aang asked, "Just ignore her?"

"We don't have a choice." Sokka said, "We have to get out of here and find the Fire Lord on our own somehow." Although they all seemed reluctant to do it, they had to agree with him and turned around, following Sokka.

"It's a trap." Azula said, "Don't say I didn't warn you." Everyone but Sokka looked back at her, wondering if what she said was true. Although Kotaro looked back just to glare at her.

"_Ignore_!" Sokka said, everyone listened to him and kept walking.

"So, Sokka's your name, right?" Azula said, he continued to ignore her, "My favorite prisoner used to mention you _all_ the time." Sokka stopped. Prisoner? What prisoner would talk about him? He stopped and looked back at her as she continued speaking, "She was convinced you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came, and she gave up on you." Sokka's heart sank when he realized exactly who he was talking about.

Suki.

The Kyoshi warrior he loved so much was in a Fire Nation prison. He had wondered what had happened to her when he realized that Azula and her cronies were posing as the Kyoshi warriors. Now he knew that they had been arrested. It _killed_ him to know that Suki was locked away somewhere, and she had been waiting for him to come and rescue her, but he never knew, so he never came. Azula was taunting him with her life, and her misery, and he should have ignored it.

But he couldn't.

Tears leaked out of his eyes and he let out a wild cry as he ran at the princess, who looked completely ready for him.

"Come and get it." She said quietly, holding a knife that she had hidden in her sleeve. Toph felt her sneak it out, and quickly bent up a stone and shot it at the hand that held the knife, knocking her back into the wall and keeping her there. Sokka came up to her, his expression fierce and angry.

"Where. Is. Suki?" He demanded.

Kotaro was a little confused, who was Suki?

"Where's Suki_?_!" Sokka demanded again. Azula didn't say a word, she just kept that increasingly annoying confident smirk on her face, "Answer me!"

"Sokka," Aang came up to him and put his hand on Sokka's shoulder, "She won't talk."

Sokka knew that he was right, and that they should keep going, but he couldn't let this chance to know about Suki just slip through his fingers. He looked back at the princess and demanded, "Where are you keeping her_?_!"

Azula only smirked.

Everyone's heads turned as a sudden, thunder-like rumbling was heard just down the hallway.

"Oh!" Azula said delightedly, "It sounds like the fire bending is back on." She kicked up her leg, blue flames following it. Sokka let out a yelp as he avoided it, and another as she used her legs to blast a blue fire ball at him, and Toph tackled him to the ground so he wouldn't get burned. Azula did an impressive flip, her hand still held by the stone cuff Toph had made, but she easily blasted through it with her fire, and brought down a flaming foot on where Aang was, but he easily jumped out of the way and she stood up.

"Dad's all the way at the end of the hall then down a secret stairway to the left." Azula said, "I'm sure he'd be _more_ than happy to see you now." She turned and ran down the hallway, away from all of them and to safety. She had given them the information they wanted, but now the eclipse was over. It wasn't any good.

"I fell for it!" Sokka said, mentally cursing at himself, "I used up all our time!"

"It's not your fault Sokka." Toph said, "Azula was ready for us. She had every move planned out."

"And now, it's too late." Sokka said, continuing on his personal hatred.

"Maybe it's not too late." Aang said, "The eclipse is over, but I can face the Fire Lord anyway."

"No." Sokka said, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"But I'm ready!" Aang said, "I came here with a job to do, and everyone's counting on me!"

"The Fire Lord knew we were coming this time." Toph said, "We thought we had surprise on our side, but we didn't. It just wasn't our day. What we need to do now is go help our friends." Aang looked away, thinking.

"I guess you guys are right." He said. Sokka reached out and put his hand on Aang's shoulder.

"You'll have another chance." Sokka said, "I know you will." Aang nodded.

"Come on, let's go." He said, they all ran through the tunnels, knowing they had to get to their friends quickly before any soldiers found them. Now that the fire benders had their fire back, the capital city was the worst place for any invader to be. As they ran by the Fire Lord's fake chambers, Kotaro looked in, glancing at Hoshiko's body. She seemed to be paler than a moment ago, and the scar on her shoulder was red, and it was giving off an oily sheen from the horrible burn that he had given her. He bit back his tears and followed the others as quickly as he could.

Toph felt his shoulders shaking as they ran, but she never heard him sob. She couldn't blame him for crying, Hoshiko was closer to him than anyone else on earth. She was literally the other half of his soul. She could only imagine the pain he felt at that moment.

* * *

In the Fire Nation capital, Katara brought her father over to a tank and rested him against it. The eclipse was over, and now they were all out in the open.

"Hakoda," He turned his head as Xana and her oldest brother Makozo came over to him, "What should we do?"

"Yeah," Xana agreed, "Shouldn't something have happened by now?"

"I don't know." Hakoda admitted, "But now that the eclipse is over, I expect we're going to see some fire benders any minute." He and Katara scowled.

Xana looked up at something behind them, and gasped, her amber eyes wide. The others looked back to see what had caused her shock and saw six big red war balloons floating over the city.

"My own invention…!" The mechanist lamented when he saw them, "Oh, this is _terrible_!"

Something rose up behind them, and they saw six huge, scarlet red war zeppelins just behind them.

"And it looks like they improved it, too." Xana said when she saw them.

Katara looked off to the side and saw Appa flying through the air, "They're back!" She ran to meet them as they flew closer.

As they passed by the zeppelins, Aang and the others looked at them with despair. The Fire Nation had definitely been ready for them, if they had prepared those things to attack. They landed near the troops, and Katara looked up at them, seeing the defeat on their faces.

"It was all a trap!" Sokka said to her as he climbed off Appa, "Azula knew we were coming and she's plotted out every move!" He jumped off the bison, Toph and Kotaro following. "We've just got to get to the beach as fast as we can. If we can make it to the submarines, maybe we can get away safely."

"They've got air power," Aang said, looking up at the zeppelins, "But so do I." He opened up his glider, "I'm gonna do whatever I can to slow them down!" He jumped up into the air under his glider, Momo following him up into the sky. Appa let out a grunt when he saw Aang leaving.

"Appa, you and I can help, too." Katara said, jumping onto his back and flying off after Aang. Everyone watched as they flew up towards the war balloons, preparing to take them out, or at least take out as many as they could.

"Everyone!" Sokka called out, "Let's get back to the subs!" The soldiers and troops all headed back for the subs, taking out any fire benders that they happened to come across. As Kotaro walked, the soldiers all noticed a significant change about him. He was silent, and he didn't seem to be paying attention to his surroundings. Toph stayed close to him to make sure he wasn't hurt while his mind drifted away.

* * *

Hoshiko's eyes slowly fluttered open. She looked around to see that she was in the Fire Lord's chambers in the bunker underground.

She froze as she realized she was the one that was seeing.

She couldn't help the laughter that came out of her mouth in relief as she realized her plan had worked.

The idea was shaky on its own. She didn't have enough strength to take her body back from Kagemi after she had first broken her vow by killing Usagi, the sweet rabbit Shinjun nomad, and Kagemi didn't even realize she was breaking her promise when she did it. She needed to get more strength, but she couldn't do it with the power she had at the moment, she was unsure of where she could find a way to get stronger. When you're trapped inside your own subconscious, you have nothing better to do than to think of a way to get out. And then it hit her. Kotaro was her _hanbun tamashi_, her half-soul, they shared an unbreakable bond for the rest of their lives and the afterlife all the way to the end of eternity. His soul carried a part of her soul. That could give her the extra boost she needed to help escape and put Kagemi away permanently. But how could she get it? Kagemi would never touch him, and she didn't have enough strength to even take control of her finger, much less enough of her body to force her to touch him. But what if he attacked her? He was bound to be a part of the invasion, and that would be the perfect time for her to get some kind of connection to him! But how to do it? Well, bending was a part of any person, and he was a lightning bender. Maybe, if he struck her with lightning, she could get the strength she needed to get her body back! There was the chance that it could kill her, but if she could get her body back…

So, when Kotaro fired at her, she did her best to get all obstacles out of the way by becoming a part of the shadows Kagemi had created. It was the only way she could take a physical form at the moment, and the shadows were plentiful, so she could create everything from her knees up. It was enough for her to get Kotaro's lightning bolt to come through, and the second the bolt made contact with Kagemi, she had been able to grasp onto the part of her that was hidden within the lightning and use that strength to pull Kagemi away and take back her place in control of her body.

What she hadn't counted on was the horrible pain from the aftershock of being shot by lightning. She could see why it had killed Aang, it _hurt_! It was the most painful experience she had ever gone through, but she was alive, and she had her body back, and at the moment, that was all she cared about.

She moved to get up, hissing in pain as she felt the wound on her shoulder burn at her movements, but she had to get up. She had to get back to the others before the invasion ended. She didn't know how much time had passed, but hopefully, she would be able to catch up to the others. She let out a moan as she pushed herself up to stand. She leaned against the wall, her hand gently covering her new wound as she tried to ease the pain. The skin was incredibly sensitive, however, and there was no way she could touch it without hurting herself, but the least she could do was try and protect it with her hand as she escaped. She carefully moved along the walls to the door, and began moving down the hallways.

As she walked, she began to realize that she didn't know the way out. Azula had grabbed Kagemi, blindfolded, kicking and screaming through the tunnels. Hoshiko realized that, once Kagemi told her that she was fighting back, Azula must have known that she could regain control on the Day of Black Sun, so she took extra precautions to make sure that, if she did regain her body, she would be able to take her prisoner and have her executed for crimes against the Fire Nation. She cursed the princess for her strategy, and decided to simply rely on luck to get her out of the bunkers. Although, it wouldn't be easy to get out when she could barely take a step without feeling the burning pain of her shoulder, and she was hardly in a position to fight, but she wouldn't let that stop her. She was determined to get out of that bunker and back to Kotaro if it was the last thing she did.

She heard running footsteps behind her, and she quickly turned around, thinking it might be an enemy, but was surprised at what she saw.

* * *

Prince Zuko ran down the hallways, trying to get to the war balloon he had hidden away before anyone heard of what had happened between him and his father. He wanted to hurry and free his uncle before he left, but it seemed that he had already done that on his own. The bars of his cell had been torn apart, and the all prison guards on duty had been seriously hurt, but not killed. He would just have to leave without his uncle, and hopefully be able to receive his forgiveness later.

As he turned a corner, he saw someone walking along the halls, and instantly reached for his dao blades, thinking it would be someone who would try and arrest him for treason. He stopped when he realized it was an injured Shinjun. After looking at her for a moment, he saw that it was Kagemi, but something was different about her. There was a different air about her appearance, and she seemed calmer, and less irritating than before. He looked at her eyes and saw they were no longer dark with white pupils, but a crystal blue shade.

This wasn't Kagemi. It was Hoshiko. And she looked just as surprised to see him as he was to see her.

"Prince Zuko…" She murmured, she turned, and he saw that she was wounded on her shoulder. He pulled out his dao blades and pointed them at her, she stepped back. Her ears drooped, and he saw her expression become more frightened and sad. "I know I'm not Kagemi, but I need to get out of here. If you'd just show me a little mercy…"

"I know you're not Kagemi." Zuko said, "But are you my enemy?" Hoshiko looked confused. She looked down for a moment to think, and then looked back up at him.

"That depends on whether or not you are my enemy." She said to him. Zuko lowered his blades slightly.

"Are you still fighting for the avatar?" He asked.

"Yes." She said. Zuko sheathed his blades.

"So am I." He said. A smile came across Hoshiko's face in both relief, and Zuko thought he saw a touch of pride in there, but he quickly brushed it off as his own imagination. He went over to her, "What happened to you?"

"Long story." Hoshiko said, "I need to get out of here and back to the others."

Zuko nodded, "I can help you with that." He smiled at her, and she returned it, both of them glad to have found an ally.

* * *

Everyone kept running towards the submarines, but they weren't fast enough to outrun the war zeppelins. Aang and Katara were already flying back, they had been able to take down a couple of war balloons, but they couldn't even come close to the war zeppelins without getting seriously hurt. While the war balloons carried only a pair of fire benders, the zeppelins carried ten times that much, and there was no way they could take those out without risking an arm or leg. They landed near Sokka as he shouted out, "Try and find cover! I think we're about to see some bombs!" Toph used her earth bending to create a small shelter as the bottom of the zeppelins opened up, and red bombs began falling out from them.

The earth shook violently as the huge multitude of explosions hit the ground, and Toph had to bend up a couple of pillars just to make sure their shelter didn't collapse on them. The earth tanks seemed to be okay, taking the brunt of the explosions without harming the earth benders inside.

Once it was over, the zeppelins continued onward, heading past the invaders. Everyone watched as they kept flying forward.

"Why aren't they turning around to attack us again?" Katara asked, confused by their actions.

"They're headed for the beach…" Aang said, thinking aloud as he tried to figure out why. Then it struck him, "They're gonna destroy the submarines!"

"How are we all gonna escape?" Sokka asked, fear creeping into him for the first time since the invasion began.

"We aren't." Kotaro said, his words shocking everyone, mostly because it was the first thing he had said since they left the bunker. His expression was hopeless, and he seemed to be surrounded in despair.

"Then our only choice is to stand and fight." Sokka said, "We have the avatar! We could still win!"

"Yes," Hakoda said, getting his son's attention, "With the avatar we could still win- on another day." Bato released his arm from Hakoda and he stood up straight, his hand covering the wound he had received, "You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa together."

"What?" Katara went to her father, "We can't leave you behind! We won't leave anyone behind!"

"You're our only chance in the long-run." Hakoda said, "You and Sokka have to go with Aang somewhere safe. It's the only way to keep hope alive." Katara looked back at her brother and Aang, sadly realizing that her father was right, no matter how much she hated it.

"The youngest of our group should go with you." Bato said. "The adults will stay behind and surrender."

"I agree with Bato." Makozo said, looking at Katara's sad expression, "We'll be prisoners, but we'll all survive this battle."

"Yeah, if we aren't executed on sight." Farx muttered dryly. He was quickly elbowed and shushed by his brother Haxen, and Xana, both of them shushing him.

"I've got some experience with the Fire Nation prisons." Haru's father said, coming up to the three warriors. "It's not going to be easy, but we'll get by."

"Look!" Xana's brother Zeju exclaimed, "They're at the beach already!" Everyone watched as the swamp benders who were on defense down at the beach tried to defend the subs as best they could, but the bombs were too numerous, and the subs were destroyed within minutes of their attack.

Seeing that there was truly no way out, everyone began to get their youngest into Appa's saddle. Teo was first because he couldn't walk on his own. His father took him out of his wheelchair and held him as Toph created an earth lift to get him near the saddle so he could easily place him inside. Teo hugged him before he pulled away.

"Bye son." The Mechanist said, holding his son close.

"Bye Dad." Teo said, as he pulled away from his father, he said, "I'm really proud of you." The Mechanist nodded and let Toph put him back down on the earth.

The Duke grunted as he tried to pull himself up to the saddle, hanging onto Appa's horn, but he didn't have the arm strength. A large hand came and helped to push him up.

"I'll miss you, Pipsqueak." He said as he let Pipsqueak push him to the saddle.

"Take care, The Duke." He said, stepping back as The Duke climbed upwards on Appa's head.

Haru embraced his father, "We'll be back for you, Dad." He promised to him.

"If we don't escape on our own first." He responded, giving his son an encouraging smile. Haru tried to return it, if a little weakly.

Hakoda put his hand on each of his children's shoulders, "We lost today, but we've never been this close." He got down on his knees and looked at the two of them. "We tasted victory, and that counts for something." He smiled at them, but they didn't return it.

"We'll miss you, Dad." Katara said. She quickly embraced him, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Sokka came up and joined them, putting his arms around his father's and Katara's shoulders.

"Bye Dad." He said, "We won't be apart for too long this time, I promise."

Xana looked at her brothers sadly, "Take care of yourself." She said to them, tears forming in her eyes.

"You know we will." Makozo said.

Xana nodded, but the tears poured down her cheeks. She ran up and embraced her brother, tears spilling out. Makozo returned it, and all her brothers surrounded her, making sure that she was receiving all that they could give her at that moment. After a moment, Xana released Makozo, wiping her tears from her eyes, sniffling. Her brother Xenak leaned down and softly kissed her head.

"Don't be so afraid." He said to her, "At least we can expect what happens to us. We'll all be alive, and we'll all come back together again. I know it." Xana nodded.

"I know…" She said, "I love all of you."

"We love you, too, Xana." Haxen said. Xana moved through her crowd of brethren to get to Appa, where Kotaro helped to pull her up with the others.

Aang sat at Appa's head, tears flowing down his cheeks. Katara came up to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her and she gave him an encouraging smile. He wiped his eyes and sniffed. He stood up and turned to the troops.

"Thank you all for being so brave and so strong!" He said, speaking loudly so everyone could hear him, "I'm gonna make this up to you!" He sat down at Appa's head and whipped the reigns. The bison took off, leaving all the other soldiers behind as they escaped to safety. They flew by one of the war zeppelins, and everyone's heart pounded as they waited to see if they would attack, fortunately, they didn't, and they passed by them quickly and easily. Once they were sure they were safe, Aang said, "I know just the place we can go where we'll be safe for a while. The Western Air Temple."

They flew onward, unaware of the small war balloon that was following them. In its basket rested two people: The former prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko, and a newly bandaged Hoshiko just beside him.

"Are you sure the war balloon can keep up with them?" She asked him.

"Yes." Zuko said, "The zeppelins are much slower because of their weight. We'll be light enough to keep up without getting spotted." Hoshiko nodded, trusting his information. She looked up at Appa, seeing a glimpse of white hair among all the heads on the saddle and her heart clenched painfully.

_Kotaro… please be okay._

* * *

**Tada! I was so excited for this chapter that I did it really fast! I hope you like it!**


	35. The Western Air Temple

35

Everyone walked along the ground as they continued onward to the Western Air Temple. The ground was barren, and the climate was scorching. They had been walking for hours, and everyone was tired. On the trip over, those who weren't really part of the GAang had talked together, getting to know each other better as they were going to be staying at the temple for some time until they were able to leave for Aang to continue his mission. The entire time, Kotaro had stayed quiet, his eyes blank and dull, not saying a word to anyone. Xana, who had known him for years, was very concerned. She had never seen Kotaro like that, and it made her uneasy. The only time she could get him to say anything at all to her was when she asked him what happened, and he brushed her off with a grunt. She kept poking and prodding him with questions, hoping to get some kind of answer, but he didn't say anything. Eventually, Sokka had to stop her so she wouldn't make Kotaro feel any worse than he already did. When Xana asked Sokka what had happened to make Kotaro act that way, he promised to explain it later. He didn't really want to be the one to break the news to her about Hoshiko's death, her real honest death that he had witnessed with his own eyes, but Kotaro was hardly in a state to talk to anyone, so he would have to do it. Aang swore that when they got to the temple and everyone had settled in, they would hold a memorial service for her, and that was all he could do at the moment, but it was enough. Hopefully.

"This is humiliating." Katara said.

"Do you mean getting thoroughly spanked by the Fire Nation, or having to walk to the Western Air Temple?" Sokka asked.

"Both." Katara replied.

"Sorry guys, but Appa gets tired carrying all these people." Aang said, reaching over and affectionately petting the bison.

"I wonder how the rest of the troops are." Teo said.

"They're probably on their way to a prison." Haru said, "Seems like my dad just got out, and now he's going back in."

"I miss Pipsqueak." The Duke said sadly.

"I miss not having the scales on the bottom of my feet chip." Xana replied, glaring at her calloused, scaly feet.

"Hey!" Toph said brightly, "We're here!"

In front of them was the edge of a huge cliff.

"Uh, I think your feet need their eyes checked." Katara said.

"No, she's right." Aang said with smile, "We _are_ here!"

Everyone looked around, seeing no sign of any temple on the ground they stood on.

"Wow… it's amazing." Toph breathed in awe.

* * *

Farther along the ledge of the cliff, Zuko landed the war balloon and hid it among the trees in the natural foliage growing not too far away from the Western Air Temple. Hoshiko looked out at the temples, amazed by the sight. The architectural designs were similar to that of any temple you would find in the Fire Nation, but instead of a deep red color, they were a color of green, like the buildings in the Earth Kingdom, but they all hung at the bottom of the cliff, so they all looked as if they were upside down.

"They're beautiful." She said as she gazed at them from Zuko's camp. He looked over at her, seeing that the bandages he had applied to her shoulder were starting to look a little worn out.

"You should change those." He said as he grabbed a rope and walked over to the ledge, tossing it out after he had tied one end of it to a tree. She looked at the bandages on her shoulder and grimaced.

"They're starting to get pretty gross, huh?" She said, she turned around, "Where'd you put them?"

"In the same bag I put everything else in." Zuko said, he tugged on the rope a couple of times to see if it was secure enough for him to use. Hoshiko went over to the bag in question and easily found the bandages. "I don't think you'd want to go back to the others with bad bandages."

Hoshiko looked over at him, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to see the temples and where the avatar decided to camp." Zuko said, he grabbed onto the rope and started to lower himself down, "You should probably stay here."

"_Pffft_." Hoshiko scoffed, walking over to him, "Just because my shoulder's a little hurt doesn't mean I can't come with you." Zuko raised his eyebrow at her, as if to ask 'Oh, really?'

"Lift your arms above your head." He told her, she did so, and grimaced, groaning as she lifted up her arm that had the injured shoulder. She brought her other hand to it as she lowered her arm down. "You can't come."

"Oh, fine." Hoshiko said, standing at the edge as Zuko lowered himself down. She walked away, going back to the bandages and preparing to unwrap the ones she had on at the moment.

Zuko lowered himself down lower and lowered himself down, carefully sliding down the rope as he looked at the statues of once-famed air benders whose names nobody remembered anymore.

He had been here once before, and could remember it as if it had been yesterday.

* * *

_"What a stunning view." Iroh said as he looked out at the expanse beneath the temple._

_ "The only view I'm interested in seeing is the avatar in chains." Zuko said, glaring out at the misty lands below. His scar was covered up with a bandage._

_ Iroh frowned sadly at his nephew, and went over to him, "You know, the avatar hasn't been seen for a hundred years." He said, "The chances of finding him here are very slim."_

_ "First, we'll check each of the air temples." Zuko said, "Then we'll scour the world, searching even the most remote locations until we find him."_

_ "Prince Zuko…" Iroh said softly, "It's only been a week since your banishment. You should take some time to heal and rest."_

_ "What else would I expect to hear from the laziest man in the Fire Nation?" He snapped at him, "The only way to regain my honor is to find the avatar. So I will." Iroh sighed at his nephew's stubbornness and walked away, going to check and see if any of the soldiers had found a trace of the avatar, not that he expected them to._

* * *

Zuko sighed, reaching up and pinching the bridge of his nose. Looking back on it now, he couldn't believe how he had behaved towards his uncle and to his men. His hunt for the avatar had ruled his life back then. Now he knew better than to let something as simple as honor blind him from what he needed.

He looked up when he heard the sound of the avatar's bison, and ducked behind the corner of a wall as the animal landed on a building further away with all its passengers aboard. Zuko wanted to approach them to see if he could join their group, but he wasn't sure how to approach them after all the years he'd spent chasing after them, so he turned and left, going back to his camp about a half mile away from where they had landed.

* * *

Teo looked up at the high ceiling of the balcony he and the others stood on. "It's so different from the Northern Temple." He said, able to see how the architecture had differed due to the area. Excitedly, he thought aloud, "I wonder if there are any secret rooms?"

Haru ran ahead of him, "Let's go check it out." He said, Teo, The Duke, and Xana all followed him. Aang went to join them, but was stopped when Katara came out, using his staff to block his way.

"You guys go." Katara said when the others noticed she had stopped him, "I think we need to talk about some things." They nodded and headed up a flight of stairs, Teo getting some help from Haru, as it was very difficult to wheel up a flight of stairs on his own.

"Hey Duke, I'll race you!" Xana said excitedly as she took off down the halls.

"I _told_ you! It's _The_ Duke!" He said as he, Haru, and Teo all went after her.

"Why can't I go?" Aang asked Katara once they were gone.

"We need to decide what we're going to do now." Katara said, "And since you're the avatar, maybe you should be a part of this." Aang followed Katara over to where Sokka, Kotaro, and Toph were already sitting.

"Fair enough." He said, although he looked like he wasn't pleased with being in a meeting instead of exploring the temples, "So, what's the new plan?"

"Well, if you ask me," Sokka said, "The _new_ plan is the _old_ plan. You just need to master all four elements and confront the Fire Lord before the comet comes."

"Oh. Yeah. That's great. No problem. I'll just do that." Aang said with a sarcastic bite.

"Aang, no one said it's going to be easy." Katara said, trying to comfort him.

"Well, it's not even gonna be _possible_!" Aang said, "Where am I supposed to get a fire bending teacher?"

"Um…" Katara thought for a moment, then said, "We could look for Jeong Jeong!"

"Yeah, right." Aang said, "Like we're ever gonna run into Jeong Jeong again!" Kotaro looked at him oddly.

"Who's…? Oh, never mind." Toph stopped herself from asking, "If it's important, I'll find out."

Aang jumped up, "Oh well! Guess we can't come up with anybody." He said, smiling as he thought the meeting was over, "Why don't we just take a nice tour around the temple?" He grabbed his staff and began to run towards the edge of the balcony, Momo following him eagerly as he opened up his glider and took off, the lemur just behind him.

"What's up with him?" Toph asked once he was gone.

Sokka put his hand to his chin in thought, "There's gotta be someone who can teach him fire bending." He said, trying to think of who might be able to do it.

Katara looked over at Kotaro, who still had that dull, dead look in his eyes. "Kotaro, are you okay?" She asked him, "Ever since the invasion, you've been weirdly quiet." Sokka and Toph looked to the Shinjun, waiting for him to say something, but he didn't respond to Katara's question. He simply stood up and walked away from them. Katara looked after him worriedly. She turned to her brother, "Sokka, did something happen when he went with you to find the Fire Lord?" Sokka hadn't told her anything about their trip to the Fire Lord's bunker other than that Azula had found them and that it had all been a trap from the beginning. Toph looked away sadly, and Sokka made the same face as he looked at his sister. He went over to her.

"Katara, we need to talk…"

* * *

"What do you mean you won't come with me_?_!" Zuko asked Hoshiko frantically.

Hoshiko winced at his loud tone of voice and stilled her twitching ear before turning her attention back to her bandages, "I mean exactly that." She said, "Zuko, they shouldn't accept you just because I give them the okay. They need to accept you for who you are, and I can't help with that."

"It would be easier if you just came with me!" Zuko said.

"Yes, and it will be harder for them to completely trust you on my word alone." She said, "It might get you a good start, but they won't accept you as readily as you think they would."

"I _know_ that," Zuko said, beginning to pace, "But I have no idea how to approach them. I can't just walk up and say 'Hi, mind if I join your group?'! They all hate me!"

"Kotaro's in their group." Hoshiko said, "He doesn't hate you. You and he are friends, right?"

"I guess…" Zuko muttered. Hoshiko looked at him pitifully and gave one last tug of her bandages to make sure they were secure enough to stay on her arm, and then turned to him.

"Okay, why don't we just do a little roleplaying?" She asked, Zuko looked at her oddly as she turned to face him from where she sat, "Pretend I'm everyone, and just say to me what you plan to say to them. I'll help you work out a good way to talk to them, okay?" Zuko nodded and turned to her. "Whenever you're ready." She looked up at him with an eager face, ready to hear what all he had to say.

Zuko took in a breath of air, then let it out before getting ready to come up with something to say to the avatar and his group. "Um… Hello, Zuko here. But, I guess you probably already know me… sort of." Hoshiko winced a little at his greeting, but made a motion for him to keep going, "Um… So! The thing is, I have a lot of fire bending experience, and I'm considered to be pretty good at it. Well, you've seen me. You know, when I was attacking you?" Hoshiko grimaced and shook her head, telling him it was a bad idea to mention that, "Uh… yeah. I guess I should apologize for that."

"Yeah." Hoshiko said in agreement.

"Uh… but anyway, I'm good now." Zuko continued, "I mean, I thought that I was good before, but I realize I was bad, but anyway…" He let out a sigh, "I think it's time I joined your group, and taught the avatar fire bending." Hoshiko looked at him, her expression looking like she was still waiting to hear the rest. She was a little surprised when he didn't say anything else. "Well? What's your answer?"

"Um… it could be better." Hoshiko said, wincing a little bit. Zuko sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Yeah, I think so, too." He said, he gripped at his hair in frustration, "How am I supposed to convince these people I'm on their side?" Hoshiko shrugged, not really sure how to go about the matter. Zuko paused for a moment, rubbing his jaw in thought, "What would Uncle do?" Putting on a phony voice similar to his uncle's he said, "Zuko, you have to look within yourself to save yourself from your other self. Only then will your true self reveal itself." Hoshiko let out a snort of laughter at his impersonation, and Zuko spared himself a grin.

"What does that even _mean_, anyway?" She asked him. Zuko paused.

"I don't know." He said dejectedly, "Even when I'm talking for him I can't understand what he means!" Hoshiko smirked a little at his answer. Zuko thought again, "What would Azula do?"

"Oh, I know this one." Hoshiko said, standing up. She put on a fake air of arrogance as she used a higher-pitched voice and said, "Listen, avatar. I can join your group, or I can do something unspeakably horrible to you and your friends. Your choice." Zuko laughed at her impersonation of his sister, and she laughed with him. Once they were finished laughing, Zuko turned to her.

"But, seriously, what can I do?" He asked. Hoshiko thought for a moment.

"Well… just go for a serious approach, I guess." She said, shrugging one shoulder because it hurt to shrug them both. "Tell them the truth, and be honest. And I wouldn't try and mention anything about attacking them, because that could lead down a _very_ bad road."

"Right…" Zuko said, not really sure if her advice would help.

Not too far away from them, a badger frog let out a croak.

* * *

Kotaro lay down in his sleeping bag, not feeling the energy to do anything else. He heard the frantic shouts of Teo as he kept zooming down the hall, his brakes had broken in the race with the others, and he was going down the hallway straight to a wall.

"I can't stop!" He shouted to the others. Haru, thinking quickly, created a very steep ramp of earth that went upwards, and Teo went up. He flinched as he approached the top, thinking he would be thrown off, but it was too steep for that, and he came rolling backwards safely. Haru came up to him and he smiled at him in thanks. "I must have broken my brakes. I'll need to work on those."

The Duke and Xana came up to them, "You okay?" Xana asked, concerned that he might have been seriously hurt.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Teo said.

Everyone heard a loud gurgling noise and looked over at The Duke, who flushed embarrassedly and put his hand over his stomach.

"What?" He asked them, "I haven't had anything to eat since this morning."

"I think we could all use a little food." Haru said, he put his hands on the handles on the back of Teo's wheelchair. He turned him around and they headed back to the main area to see if there was anything for them to eat. As Xana walked, she noticed Kotaro's sleeping bag not too far away. She glanced back at the others, who had run into Sokka. She didn't hear what they were saying and went to check on her friend.

"Hey, Kota?" She called quietly, hoping to get his attention. He didn't answer, for a moment, she thought he might be asleep, but saw his eyes were open and walked over to him. "Are you okay?" He didn't respond, and she became worried. Thinking he was like this because of the failed invasion, she tried to lift his spirits. "So we lost the invasion. It's no big deal, really. There'll be another chance for Aang to fight the Fire Lord." He still didn't respond. She looked at him sadly, unaware of the conversation that was going on between Sokka and the others.

"A memorial service?" Teo wanted to know why they were having one, "But we didn't lose anyone in the invasion."

"We _did_ lose someone in the invasion." Sokka explained, "Someone really important to us. And when I say that, I mean she was a really good friend. She wasn't with us on the invasion force, but we saw her later on, and… well, it's hard to explain. We're doing this service to pay her respects in her death."

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to attend." Haru said. He pushed Teo along, "Come on, let's go."

"Katara's by the fountain." Sokka said to them over his shoulder as they left. He noticed Xana wasn't with them and saw the reptilian girl sitting down next to where Kotaro lay. She was rubbing his shoulder, trying to comfort him. He looked at him sadly and walked over, soon able to hear what she was saying to him.

"There's always another day to fight." Xana said, "And if we aren't the ones to take out Ozai, then there'll be the next generation. You shouldn't be so upset over one bad fight. It was just one battle, not the entire war."

"Kotaro," Sokka called his name. Xana turned her head towards him, but Kotaro didn't move, "We're about to hold her service. Come on." Xana jumped when Kotaro pushed himself up from his sleeping bag and got out. Xana quickly got up and followed Kotaro as he walked down the hallway. She looked at Sokka confusedly.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"We're holding a memorial service for Hoshiko." Sokka said, Xana suddenly stopped in her tracks. Sokka looked back at the reptilian Shinjun, who looked at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"You're… You're lying, right?" She asked him, she made a small smile come on her face, "This is some kind of joke, right?" Kotaro stopped ahead of them, and looked back at Xana. "I mean, I thought it was weird that she wasn't with you guys at the invasion, but… she's not _dead_… right?"

"She's dead, Xana." Kotaro said, speaking his first words since the invasion. They both looked at him, and Sokka saw how tired he looked, and tears formed in his eyes as he said, "…I was the one that took her life." Xana looked at his eyes, searching for any sign that he was lying, that it wasn't true. She didn't find it. She let out a choked sob, and Kotaro went over to her, his arms embracing her as she leaned into him, beginning to cry into his shoulder, sobbing loudly. She said incoherent things as she cried, most of them were different questions asking "Why?" or "How?" Kotaro didn't move as she cried, letting her release all her emotions. He was quiet the entire time. Once she was calm enough, they began walking through the hallways, where Aang and the others waited to give Hoshiko their respects.

* * *

Not long after the ceremony was over, Aang went out to try and cheer himself up by using his glider to fly around the temple, weaving in and out of the inverted towers. He had been doing this for hours, and after a while, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Kotaro began to seek him out. They all got on Appa and flew around until they saw Aang and began to follow him as he went around the spires of the temple.

"Aang, can we talk about you learning fire bending now?" Katara called up to him from Appa's saddle.

"What?" Aang called back, "The wind is, uh, too loud in my ears! But check out this loop!" Aang used his air bending and performed a rather impressive loop-de-loop among the towers. Kotaro sighed at the sight of him. It was clear he didn't want to discuss the matter, but you had to give him points for trying to avoid the subject with air bending.

"Aang!" Sokka yelled up at him, louder than Katara, "I think we should be making some plans about our future!"

Aang, seeing that they weren't going to give this up, called back, "Okay!" He flew over to the fountain where they first landed, the others following him. "We can do that while I show you the giant pai-sho table." Everyone began to get off Appa as Aang put away his glider, "And you're gonna love the all-day echo chamber!"

"I think that will have to wait." Toph said, everyone looked at her oddly, and she pointed at something behind Appa, who moved to reveal a shaggy-haired Prince Zuko standing on the same ledge as they were. How had they not noticed him?

"Um… Hey." He greeted awkwardly, everyone immediately put up their defenses, except for Kotaro, who did nothing. He knew how Zuko really was, and had no intention of fighting him, "I heard you guys flying around down there, so… I just thought I'd wait for you here." Appa went up to the fire bender, and gave him a big, affectionate lick. Zuko quickly wiped the bison saliva off his face, not noticing how Aang looked at him in shock, "I know you must be surprised to see me here-"

"Not _really_, since you've followed us all over the world." Sokka bit out. Zuko winced a little at the mention of it.

"Right… Well, uh…" He wasn't sure how to start. Hoshiko said to be honest, and it was probably best if he could get his point across as fast as possible, "Anyway, what I wanted to tell you about is… that I've changed. And I, uh, I'm good now. And, well, I think I should join your group- oh, and I can teach fire bending… to you." He looked at Aang when he said the last part, "See, I, uh-"

"You wanna _what_ now?" Toph asked in surprise.

"You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you?" Katara snapped at him, "I mean, how stupid do you think we are_?_!"

"Yeah!" Sokka said in agreement, "All you've ever done is try to hunt us down and capture Aang!"

"I trust him." Kotaro said, his comment shocking everyone. He met their gaping faces with a shrug, "What? I met him a couple times before. He's a good guy."

"_Clearly_ you met him under different circumstances." Sokka said, giving him a small glare.

"I've done some good things!" Zuko said quickly, going off of what Kotaro said, hoping it would gain the trust of the others, "I mean, I could have stolen your bison in Ba-Sing-Se, but I set him free! That's something!" Appa gave him another lick once he was finished.

"See? Good guy." Kotaro said.

"Appa _does_ seem to like him." Toph said.

"He probably just covered himself in honey or something so that Appa would lick him." Sokka said, "I'm not buying it."

Zuko hung his head a little, "I can understand why you wouldn't trust me. And I know I've made some mistakes in the past-"

"Like when you attacked our village?" Sokka growled.

"Or when you stole my mother's necklace and used it to track us down and capture us?" Katara snapped, glaring at him.

"Look, I admit I've done some awful things." Zuko said, bringing his hand up to his forehead, "I was wrong to try to capture you, and I'm sorry that I attacked the Water Tribe. And I never should have sent that Fire Nation assassin after you, I'm gonna try to stop-"

"Wait! _You_ sent Combustion Man after us_?_!" Sokka shouted angrily, pulling out his boomerang. Kotaro looked at him in surprise, not expecting that piece of information.

"Well, that's not his name, but-" Zuko was cut off.

"Oh, _sorry_. I didn't mean to insult your _friend_!" Sokka said sarcastically.

"He's not my friend!" Zuko said quickly.

"That guy attacked us in the middle of the night out of nowhere!" Kotaro snapped, now angered with the former prince of the Fire Nation.

"And that guy locked me and Katara in jail and tried to blow us all up!" Toph growled.

Zuko was about to say something, but stopped, realizing that this was an argument he couldn't win. He looked over at Aang, who had remained silent for all of this, "Why aren't you saying anything? You once said you thought we could be friends. You _know_ I have good in me."

Aang looked at the others, all of them showing their fury on their faces. Sokka shook his head, telling Aang it was a bad idea to simply _let_ Zuko into their group. He turned back to the scarred prince, "There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done. We'll never let you join us." Zuko's expression fell to one of despair.

"You need to get out of here. Now." Katara said, wanting for Zuko to get out of her sight as soon as possible.

Zuko's despair turned to an expression of determination and he said, "I'm trying to explain that I'm not that person anymore!"

"Either you leave, or we attack." Sokka said, pointing his boomerang at him. Zuko saw that there was no way he could get them to trust them so easily, and he expected something of a fight, but this…

"If you won't accept me as a friend," He said, getting down on his knees and holding out his wrists, "Then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner." It was the least he could do after everything he'd done to them.

"No, we _won't_!" Katara said, pulling out water from her canteens and making it wash out over him, throwing him onto his back. "Get out of here and don't come back! And if we ever see you again… well… we'd better not see you again!" Zuko, seeing how resolved they were going to be, hung his head and made to get up as they walked away, leaving him to stay there soaked in his clothes. Kotaro stayed behind and went over to the prince, holding out his hand to him. Zuko looked at him in surprise. Kotaro just stayed silent, waiting for him to take his hand, which he readily did.

"Thanks." He said as Kotaro helped him out. As Zuko stood up, he caught a whiff of an all too familiar scent. His eyes widened, and he suddenly jumped back from Zuko, covering his mouth and nose with his hand, his eyes wide. Zuko looked at him in confusion as Kotaro stared at the ground, "What's wrong?"

"…I-I'm sorry." Kotaro said quietly. Zuko saw him force a smile on his face as his eyes began to fill with tears, "My mind must be playing tricks on me… I thought I smelled something that…" He trailed off, and Zuko saw his expression was a mixture of guilt, depression, and fear that he might be going crazy, "Never mind. Forget it." Kotaro quickly wiped his eyes before he looked back at Zuko, his smile disappearing. "Look, you should leave before anyone else sees you." Zuko nodded and began walking back to his camp. As he walked by, Kotaro caught the scent of Hoshiko again, and he visibly flinched. He closed his eyes tightly. He shouldn't give himself false hope this time. He had been right before, about Hoshiko still being alive, but he only saw her again to kill her. There was no way she could be alive now. It was just impossible.

He could feel that painful void filling his chest again. Hoshiko was gone. And she was _not_ coming back.

* * *

Hoshiko looked at Zuko with wide eyes and a gaping jaw, "You did _not_." She said in disbelief.

"I can't believe how _stupid_ I am!" Zuko said, pacing back and forth, "I mean, what was I _thinking?_! Telling them I sent an _assassin_ after them_?_! Why didn't I just say Azula did that? They would have believed that! _Stupid_!" He smacked himself on the head to try and punish himself for his stupidity. Hoshiko got up and gently took his wrists to get him to stop hitting himself.

"Okay, clearly this is going to take more work than we thought." Hoshiko said, "It was a bad idea to send you there on your own. Tomorrow, we'll go back together, and I'll tell the others what you did for me, and that you can be trusted." Zuko sighed, calming down and agreeing with her. She smiled once she saw he was done. "Now, seeing as your mistakes are no longer our topic of conversation…" She seemed a little hesitant, "Did you see Kotaro?"

Zuko looked at her, and nodded, "Yeah, I did."

"And how did he look?" Hoshiko asked suddenly.

"He looked…" Zuko thought about it, "Really tired. And he was really quiet, especially compared to how talkative he was when I saw him before." Hoshiko's expression fell into one of worry.

She turned away, bringing her thumbnail to her mouth as she tried to think. _He's not as okay as I hoped he would be…_ She thought to herself, _This is bad. I need to talk to him, and soon._

* * *

Later on, everyone was getting their things together to prepare for sleep, they spoke about Zuko's sudden appearance. "Why would he try to fool us like that?" Katara asked.

"Obviously, he wants to lead us into some kind of trap." Sokka said.

"This is just like when we were in prison together in Ba-Sing-Se." Katara began, "He starts talking about his mother and making it seem like he's an actual human being with feelings."

"He wants you to trust him, and feel sorry for him, so you let your guard down, then he strikes!" Sokka said.

"The thing is, it worked." Katara said, "I _did_ feel sorry for him. I felt like he was really confused and hurt. But, obviously when the time came, he made his choice, and we paid the price. We can't trust him."

"I kinda have a confession to make." Aang said, "Remember when you two were sick and I got captured by Zhao?"

"And you made us suck on frozen frogs?" Sokka continued, "How could I forget? I had a wart on the flap that hangs down at the back of my throat for a_ month_!" He opened his mouth and pointed to his uvula to prove his point. Kotaro looked at him oddly. Frozen frog sucking? How was that supposed to help an illness?

"Sokka, I looked at it and told you there was nothing there!" Katara said, clearly annoyed with his choice of conversation.

"I could _feel_ it!" Sokka said, "It's _my_ throatal flap!"

"Anyway," Aang began, wanting to move off the subject of warts and throat flaps, "When Zhao had me chained up, it was Zuko who came in and got me out. He risked his life to save me."

"No way!" Katara said, "I'm sure he only did it so he could capture you himself."

"Yeah, face it Aang." Sokka said, "You're nothing but a big prize to him."

"You're probably right." Aang said.

"And what was all that crazy stuff about setting Appa free? What a liar!" Katara said.

"Actually," Toph piped up, "He wasn't lying."

"Oh, _hoo_ray!" Sokka said in sarcastic happiness, "In a lifetime of evil, at least he didn't add _animal cruelty_ to the list!"

"I'm just saying that, considering his messed up family and how he was raised," Toph began, "He could have turned out a _lot_ worse."

"You're right, Toph," Katara said, "Let's go find him and give him a medal! The _'Not as Much of A Jerk as You Could Have Been'_ Award!"

"All I know is that while he was talking to us, he was sincere." Toph said.

"I have to agree with Toph on this one." Kotaro said, "When I first met Zuko, it was under an assumed name, but he was a really good guy deep down, even if he is the prince of the Fire Nation. Maybe you're all just letting your hurt feelings get in the way of thinking clearly."

"Easy for _you_ to say!" Katara snapped, "You weren't there when he had us attacked by pirates!"

"Or when he burned down Kyoshi Island!" Sokka said.

"Or when he tried to capture me at the Fire Temple!" Aang said.

"Why would you even _try_ to defend him_?_!" Katara demanded of the two.

"_Because_ Katara," Toph said, going up to her, "You're all ignoring one crucial fact: Aang needs a fire bending teacher! We can't think of a single person in the world to do the job, now one shows up on a silver platter, and _you_ won't even _think_ about it_?_!" Her words were accentuated by her stomping feet.

"I'm _not_ having Zuko as my teacher." Aang said firmly.

"You're darn right you're not, buddy." Sokka said.

"Well, I guess that's settled." Katara said, crossing her arms over her chest with a note of finality.

Toph let out an angry groan, "I'm beginning to wonder who's really the blind one around here!" She turned and stormed off away from them, Kotaro following her to make sure she didn't have an earth bending tantrum and destroy part of the temple.

She didn't seem to mind as he came with her as she walked. She turned her head back at him once, noticing his silence. "You're a bit more talkative than this morning." She noted.

"Well, I feel a bit better than I did this morning." Kotaro said. Toph stopped walking, and he stopped with her.

"I'm really sorry about what happened." She said. Kotaro shook his head.

"Don't be. We couldn't have known what would have happened." He said.

"You sound like you're taking this surprisingly well." Toph said, she turned to face him, "Are you… over it?"

"No." Kotaro said instantly, "I _can't_ get over it. I'll _never_ be over it." He looked away from the blind girl, "Hoshiko was a part of me. She was half of my soul. And now, for the rest of my life, I'm going to feel this awful void in my chest because she isn't here anymore." He reached up for his chest to the place just above his heart. "I'm just trying to accept it for now, seeing as the world still needs us, and then I can have a tantrum about it once it's over." Toph's expression saddened. Kotaro noticed it right away. He came up to her, patting her shoulder, "Don't be like that. Everyone dies eventually. I just have to accept it, and then I can move on." He walked past her and she furrowed her brow in thought, wondering what she could do.

* * *

That night, Toph snuck away from the camp and went to where Zuko, or at least what felt like Zuko, had camped out not too far away. She did her best to be quiet, and was surprised to feel that there was someone else with him. As she got closer, she accidentally crushed a stick that roused both Zuko and his friend from sleep.

"Mmf…Who's there…?" The other person asked, their speech slurred by their sleep.

"Stay back!" Zuko shouted, waving his arm and shooting out a wave of fire.

"It's me!" Toph said quickly, bending up a slab of earth to protect herself from the flames. She took a step back, and got too close to the fire, "Ow!" She fell back once the fire had disappeared. Zuko looked to see that it was Aang's earth bending teacher, he never knew her name. He felt horror seeping in through his skin when he realized what had just happened.

"You burned my feet!" Toph shouted, suddenly terrified.

"I'm sorry!" Zuko said quickly, getting up with his friend, "It was a mistake!"

"Get away from me!" Toph shouted, shooting off pieces of earth at him. Zuko easily avoided them with some footwork. He quickly caught up to her as Toph was crawling away.

"Let me help you!" Zuko said, Toph only responded by throwing another rock at him, "I'm sorry!" She threw another rock at him.

"Toph, stop! He didn't know it was you!" His friend called, and she froze. She knew that voice. Once they realized she had stopped, Zuko's friend came up to her, putting her hand on her shoulder, "It was an accident." Toph slowly turned her head.

"…Hoshiko?" She asked quietly. Hoshiko smiled softly at her.

"You kind of spoiled the surprise, you know." She said. She let out an 'oof!' as Toph suddenly tackled her with a hug. She hissed in pain, "Shoulder! Shoulder!"

"Oh, sorry." Toph said, readjusting her position to still hug her friend.

"_Other_ shoulder!" Hoshiko groaned. Toph readjusted again.

"Sorry." She said. Hoshiko let out a sigh of relief once the pain was gone. She used her good arm to return her embrace, and Zuko let out a breath of relief. "You're alive! I can't believe you're alive!" She hugged her tighter, "Kotaro shot you with lightning! I couldn't feel your heartbeat! I thought you had died."

"Well, I did, for a little while… I think." Hoshiko said, "Zuko, a little help?" He nodded and went over to get Hoshiko and Toph into sitting positions. Hoshiko put her hand on Toph's shoulder, "Can you stand?"

"No, my feet are really starting to hurt." Toph said, "How are they? Can you tell?" Hoshiko looked down at the bottoms of Toph's feet, and saw they had become red with the burn, but she couldn't see much else.

"Not in this light." Hoshiko said, "But it doesn't look too bad. I think you'll be okay after you see Katara." Toph nodded. "Zuko, get her over by the fire, I think I saw some aloe growing near here that will help this." Zuko knelt down and hooked his arm under her knees and another around her shoulders as Hoshiko got up to go and get the aloe.

"I'm so sorry." Zuko said as he carried her over to the fire pit, "If I had known it was you, I would have never…"

"Just be quiet." Toph said as he put her down.

"Ah-ha!" Hoshiko's voice came from behind a bush, she came out with an aloe stalk in her hand, "I was right!" She went over to Toph and took hold of her ankle, beginning to dab the bottom of her foot with the plant juices. "We don't have anything to help the pain, sorry."

"S'okay. So long as it gets better." Toph said, "I can't believe you're still alive! How did it happen?"

"It's a very long and complicated explanation," Hoshiko said as she covered the heel with the juice, "And at this hour, I don't have the energy to tell it. Maybe in the morning, after we've all gotten some rest?"

"Okay." Toph said. Hoshiko put down her foot and went to begin work on the other.

"By the way, what are you doing up here?" Hoshiko asked, "I thought the others wanted nothing to do with Zuko."

"They don't." Toph said, "But I wanted to come up here and judge him for myself." She smiled, "And I'm so glad I did! You're okay!"

"Well, not completely." Hoshiko said, "My arm is kind of useless right now." She dabbed the heel of Toph's foot.

"You have to come back and tell everyone!" Toph said, "Or just show them, at least!" Hoshiko looked up at her, "Why didn't you come with Zuko when he came by earlier?"

"Because I wanted them to trust Zuko for who he was, not because of who he brought with him." Hoshiko said. "He's not as bad as everyone thinks he is."

"I'm glad you think so." Zuko said, Hoshiko grinned at him.

"I just wish the others weren't so thick-headed about it." Toph said with a grunt.

Hoshiko let out a small laugh, "Well, you can't exactly say that, after everything that's happened, you'd trust your parents not to be too overbearing, would you?" Toph grimaced.

"That's true." She said.

"In all fairness, you and I haven't seen Zuko's bad side," She looked at him, "And hopefully we won't have to." Zuko nodded, seating himself beside the two girls, "So we can't really see why they don't trust him that well."

"Yeah…" Toph said quietly, Hoshiko looked at her questioningly as she finished applying aloe to her feet.

"What is it?" She asked, noticing her behavior.

"You really need to come back." Toph said, "Everyone thinks you're dead! We had a funeral and everything!"

"I will come back." Hoshiko promised, "Tomorrow. You can count on it."

"But what about Kotaro?" Toph asked, Hoshiko froze, "He needs you! He thinks he killed you, and he's miserable about it!" Hoshiko's shoulders sagged.

"I thought he might be." She said quietly, "He'll be the first person I see tomorrow."

"What about _now?_!" Toph asked.

"Kotaro isn't some weak child," Hoshiko said, "He'll be fine for one more day." Toph couldn't argue with that. From what she'd seen of Kotaro, she had to admit, he was pretty tough. "Besides, wasn't there something you wanted to talk about with Zuko?"

Toph turned her head in the direction of the fire bender who was just beside her. "Yeah, there were a few things I wanted to know."

"Then why don't you two get started on that, while I get some bandages for your feet?" Hoshiko suggested as she got up. Toph turned to Zuko, and began their conversation by asking him how he came to want to join them, and he began the lengthy story of his experiences in the Fire Nation, leaving out different parts of the story he didn't think were important at the time while Hoshiko went over to get some bandages. As she was searching through the bag, her mind wandered to Kotaro, and she frowned sadly. Was he really as bad as Toph made him out to be? Did he love her that much? Her heart clenched painfully and she brought her hand up to her heart, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath. She hoped with everything she had that Kotaro would be okay when she saw him. She looked up at the starry sky, silently praying to the moon (Yue) for help.

* * *

As a spirit of great power, Yue had many duties that needed attending to while the moon was in the sky, like making sure the waves rolled correctly and making sure that the moon never got too close to the earth. Occasionally, she would hear the voices of people praying as she passed over their lands, and would look upon them and see if their prayer was what they truly needed, and not just what they wanted. To try and make people a little happier, she would manipulate things so the outcome would work in their favor, but most of the time, she didn't do anything. She was young and foolish compared to the other spirits (In her opinion) and she knew that humanity was able to work out most of its problems on its own at one point or another.

But when she heard the voice of her friend praying to her, she immediately turned her attention to her.

_Yue, please, Kotaro is in horrible pain. He's the one I told you about before, my _hanbun tamashi_. Please, just for tonight, ease that pain while he dreams. I'll see him tomorrow, just make sure that tonight his dreams are filled with good things._

Who would she be to deny her dear friend?

So, in her spirit form, she traveled down to earth just for a moment. She went to where Kotaro was lying down, wide awake, willing himself to fall asleep. She used her powers to make a sudden wave of deep sleep come over him and he fell asleep instantly. She closed her eyes and focused on his mind, travelling to his dreams and gently forming them into something that she knew would make him happy.

_ Kotaro stood out on a white expanse, he wanted as a wave of bright color suddenly whooshed by him and he was standing in a beautiful green meadow. _

_ "Kotaro," He turned around and saw Hoshiko standing behind him. A smile broke out on his face and he went to her, taking her hands in his. He placed his forehead against hers and he just stood there, holding her close._

_ "I missed you." He murmured to her._

_ "So did I." Hoshiko replied, leaning up and capturing his lips in a slow kiss._

Yue opened her eyes and saw Kotaro let out a peaceful sigh as he slept. She smiled at her work, and so he wouldn't be miserable about it being a dream when he woke up, she would make sure he forgot it so he wouldn't be depressed.

* * *

"Kotaro." The wolf Shinjun's eyes slowly opened with a small grunt. He looked to see Xana standing over him, "Come on, breakfast time."

"Okay, I'm up." He said, pushing himself to a sitting position. He stretched his arms above his head and smiled in satisfaction when he felt his spine pop in different places.

"How'd you sleep?" Xana asked as he got out of his sleeping bag.

"I slept great." He said, rolling his head to one side, getting many pops of the neck as a result. He smiled, "Best I've had in a while."

"Yeah? Did you dream?" Xana asked. Kotaro paused for a moment, thinking.

"I… I think I did." He said, "I don't remember." Xana shrugged.

"Oh well." She said, "Dreams are like that sometimes. You remember the ones you wanna forget, and forget the ones you want to remember." She kept walking and they reached where Katara was serving out some freshly cooked rice to everyone for breakfast.

She handed a bowl to Kotaro and Xana and looked around, seeing that their party was missing a member.

"Has anyone seen Toph?" She asked.

"I haven't seen her since she stormed off yesterday." Sokka said, yawning.

"Maybe she's just exploring the air temple." Haru suggested, "There are some pretty fun spots to practice earth bending." Xana nodded, her mouth full of rice.

"Yeah, yefderday, Hawoo and ah had a lil' baddel in one o' da roomf." Xana said, she swallowed her bite, "It was lots of fun, pitting sand against earth."

"I think we should go look for her." Katara said, looking down guiltily, worried that what she said might have driven her off.

"Aw, let her have fun with her rocks." Sokka said, sitting down near his sister, "I'm in no rush to have her yelling at us again."

"We can go check for her." The Duke said.

"Yeah!" Teo said, "I wanna ride that tunnel down to the hall of statues again. It'll work a lot better now that I've fixed my brakes." He moved the handle on his chair and smiled at the others, who remembered how it came to be that way. He zoomed off, Haru, The Duke, and Xana following him as they went off to go look for Toph. Kotaro noticed the small glance Xana shared with Haru, and how they both smiled a little bashfully.

"Well, I'll be…" He murmured in surprise.

"What?" Sokka asked, Kotaro shook his head.

"Nothing." He replied. His attention was pulled away when a sudden _BOOM_ sounded nearby and they saw a hole in one of the walls of the temple, and Toph came tumbling out of it.

"Toph!" Katara exclaimed in shock, "What happened?"

"My feet got burned." Toph said, sounding like it was old news. Once she was through talking with Zuko the previous night, she slept over on their campsite. She left before either of them woke up, certain that they would be at the air temple later on that day and crawled back to the others, her bandages had gotten caught and snagged on a few pieces of foliage, so her feet were bare as she came back, and it was very difficult for her to move around on her hands and knees when she was so used to seeing with her feet.

"Oh no!" Katara went over to her feet, where she could see the remnants of some bandages on her ankles, "What happened?"

"I just _told_ you." Toph said, "My feet got burned."

"I meant _how_?" Katara asked irritably.

"Well, I kind of went to see Zuko last night, and-" Toph was cut off.

"You _what?_!" Aang exclaimed.

"_Zuko?_!" Katara exclaimed.

"_Euugh!_" Sokka let out.

"I just thought he could be helpful to us." Toph said, explaining her reasons as Katara bent her water out of her canteen and covered Toph's feet in it, beginning to heal them. "And if I talked to him, we could work something out! So I went, and-" She was cut off again.

"So he attacked you_?_!" Sokka said.

"Well, he _did_, and he _didn't_." Toph said, "It was sort of an accident. But he-"

"But he _did_ fire bend at you." Aang said. Toph sighed, clearly not going to be able to get her message across to them.

"Yes." She said, no longer trying to tell them about what happened, because they obviously wouldn't listen.

"See?" Sokka said, "You trusted Zuko, and you got burned. Literally!"

"It's going to take a while for your feet to get better." Katara said, "I wish I could have worked on them sooner." She put her water away.

"Yeah, me too." Toph said.

"Zuko's clearly too dangerous to be left alone." Sokka said, "We're gonna have to go after him." Toph's eyes widened at his words.

"I hate to go looking for a fight," Aang began, "But you're right. After what he did to Toph, I don't think we have a choice."

"He's crafty, but we'll find a way to capture him." Sokka said.

"But it was an accident!" Toph said, "He apologized for it and everything! And on top of that-!"

"Toph, why are you still defending him?" Katara asked in surprise. Toph let out an aggravated groan.

"_Fine_! Don't listen to anything I have to say!" She snapped. She crossed her arms and scowled as Aang and Sokka came over to her to pick her up.

"Why don't we just invite Zuko back here?" Aang suggested to Sokka as they picked her up. "He's already offered himself up as a prisoner once."

"Yeah!" Sokka said, "Get him to come back, and say he'll be our prisoner, then _really_ make him our prisoner! He'll never suspect it!" Kotaro rolled his eyes as he and Katara followed the two of them to the fountain.

"You are a master of surprise, Sokka." Kotaro said sarcastically as they sat Toph down by the fountain, putting her feet in the cold water.

"_Ah_, that's the stuff." Toph sighed in relief, "Now I know how the rest of you guys feel. Not being able to see with your feet stinks."

* * *

Hoshiko walked beside Zuko as they headed over to the temple. "Are you sure about this?" Zuko asked. Hoshiko nodded.

"They're all very thick headed." She said, "This is the best way I can help." They walked closer to the camp, and Hoshiko froze when she saw a large, muscled form walking around one of the temples. She grabbed onto Zuko's arm to make him stop to see what she saw. It was the assassin he had hired, and he was _here_! "Zuko, stop him!" He dropped all of his supplies when he saw he was getting ready to attack, he dashed down onto the temple grabbing onto a vine and swinging on it towards the man while Hoshiko slunk into the shadows and traveled along the wall. Zuko got there just in time to redirect his attack from the avatar to the roof of the temple they were on.

"Stop!" He shouted, his voice carrying through the temple to the others as they hurriedly tried to get Toph away from the scene, "I don't want you hunting the avatar anymore!"

Aang looked up in shock at Zuko, seeing that he was facing the assassin he hired. The man didn't listen as he stood up again, and looked down at where Aang was, preparing to fire again. Kotaro's eyes widened as he saw a thick, black shadow move out from the wall, and saw Hoshiko's form step out of it.

"The mission's off!" She shouted at him, running up in front of him, holding out one arm, the other one was bandaged up, "We're _ordering_ you to stop!" Kotaro rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating this. The man didn't listen and pushed her out of the way as he fired off again, destroying the fountain on the temple. Zuko ran at him, fire forming in his fist.

"If you don't stop, I won't pay you!" He warned him. The man didn't listen and caught his shirt before he could land a hit, his fire going off harmlessly away from him, "Alright, I'll pay you _double_ to stop!" The man didn't listen as he pushed Zuko away and fired again. Once the hit landed, no damage showing to anyone except the temple's fountain, he turned to Zuko. He took a deep breath and prepared to fire at him. To try and protect himself, Zuko created a huge wall of fire around him as the hit came towards him. He was pushed back by it and fell off the ledge of the temple. Hoshiko saw this, and glared fiercely at the man, using her hand to bring up the shadows and wrap around his shoulders and arms. She wrapped one around his third eye to hinder his attacks. He turned back to her and she pulled back, yanking him back towards her. He turned around and skidded to a stop before she could do anything and fired off at her. She let out a shriek as the explosion sounded, sending her back into the wall of the temple with a pained groan, knocking her unconscious.

"_Hoshiko_!" Kotaro shouted. Enraged, Kotaro ran out, miniature bolts of lightning flying from his fingertips as he ran towards the edge of the platform and fired off a lightning bolt at the Combustion Man. He easily used his abilities to cause a huge explosion to counteract the lightning, blocking it.

Aang glared at Combustion Man and ran forward, jumping up as he blasted down at them again and he used air bending to create a huge tornado and have it fly towards him. He jumped above it and fired at him again, barely managing to land on another spire of the temple before firing once more. Katara used her water bending and brought up a huge wave of water from the temple's fountain and turned it into frozen icicles that fired at him. He used his metal arm and leg to shield himself from the majority of the blows. Once they were finished, he looked to see that none of the targets were there. Thinking they must be hiding, he blasted one of the pillars that held up the fountain to the temple, blowing it to smithereens. Luckily, it wasn't the one that they were all hiding behind.

"He's going to blast this whole place right off the cliff side!" Toph said fearfully.

Katara glanced out from the pillar, Kotaro doing the same on the other side, and they flinched back when he fired off another explosion at them.

"I can't step out to water bend at him without getting blown up!" Katara told the others over the ringing in her ears.

"And I don't think either of us can get an angle on him from this position!" Kotaro said.

Sokka thought for a moment, then grinned wickedly, "I know how to get an angle on him!" He said, he carefully moved past his sister and watched as another blast came down on the temple. He followed the path the explosion had come from, estimating where Combustion Man might be. He gaged the distance again and pulled his boomerang back, "Alright, buddy, don't fail me now." He threw the boomerang, watching as it made its curved path through the air, heading straight for Combustion Man and whacking him right on his third eye tattoo, knocking him over. Sokka grinned in victory and came out from behind the pillar, shouting, "Yeah! Boomerang!" as he caught the boomerang in its return path. He looked back up at the man, and the smile fell as he saw that he was getting back on his feet, looking ready to fight again from their distance, "_Aw_, boomerang!" He whined. They all ran to hide behind the pillar again, not seeing his new disoriented state. His vision was fuzzy, and it was difficult to focus on the targets, but he would not let them get away. He fired off another round, only to have it severely backfire, and destroy the entire tower instead of his enemies, taking him with its crumbling remains as it fell to the bottom of the ravine.

Everyone watched the remains of the tower fall with gaping expressions, unable to believe what had just happened.

Not too far away, Xana, Haru, Teo, and The Duke all stuck their heads out from where they had taken cover from the sudden attack, all of them were shocked and amazed as well.

Aang and the others looked up to see Zuko had escaped death by grabbing onto a long root that had been growing over the side of the ledge he'd been pushed over. Hoshiko was just coming back into consciousness as Zuko was starting to pull himself back onto the ledge. She gasped and ran over to him, grabbing onto him with both arms, letting out a groan of pain as she used them to help pull him up. Once he was safely on the ledge, he smiled at Hoshiko in thanks, and she returned it and they both got up, going to head down to the ledge that held the fountain.

* * *

"Hoshiko!" Sokka cried delightedly when he saw her. She laughed as she was suddenly embraced by him, then Aang, then Katara, and she suddenly fell over from the combined weight of her friends. "We thought you were dead!"

"Nope, just unconscious." Hoshiko said, "I'm fine now, except for my shoulder, but that will heal with time."

"Where were you?" Sokka asked.

"After the invasion, I hitched a ride with Zuko." Hoshiko said.

Sokka looked up and glared at Toph, "And you didn't think to tell us she was _alive?_!"

"No one was listening to me!" Toph said, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Aang said, tightening his embrace. Hoshiko grimaced as it hurt her shoulder a bit, but she decided to bear with it.

"We thought you were dead!" Sokka said, "How did you survive a _lightning bolt_?"

"It's a long story, and I'll explain it later." Hoshiko said, "Now could you all get _off_ me? I'm suffocating!" They all did so, and helped her stand up. She looked up and saw Kotaro standing just a few feet away. She looked at him sadly and walked over to him. "Look, I wish I could have contacted you sooner, but-" She was cut off as Kotaro suddenly grabbed her face and crashed his lips on hers. She reacted to his kiss immediately and brought her good arm up and around his neck. They stood there for a few moments, sharing kisses, until Hoshiko tasted something wet and salty. She pulled away to see Kotaro was crying. She frowned and gently wiped away one of his tears.

"I thought I had killed you…" He said, his voice breaking. Hoshiko pulled him close in a hug and he returned it, resting his head on her shoulder, his tears staining her shirt.

"I'm sorry." She murmured quietly, "If I could have contacted you, I would have. And I would have saved you all this pain… I'm so sorry." Kotaro clutched her, holding her close.

The others around them watched in respectable silence, knowing what this reunion meant to them. The silence was broken as Zuko, who hadn't been as fast as Hoshiko, came around the corner and towards them. Aang turned to him to give him his attention as he came closer.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Aang began, "But… Thanks Zuko."

"Hey, what about me?" Sokka asked, he took a pose, "I did the boomerang thing." Aang ignored him.

"Listen, I know I didn't explain myself very well yesterday," Zuko began, "I've been through a lot in the past few years. It's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honor. It's something you earn for yourself by choosing to do what's right. All I want now is to play my part in ending this war. And I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world." He turned to Toph, "I'm sorry for what I did to you. It was an accident." He bowed to her, "Fire can be dangerous and wild. So, as a fire bender, I need to be more careful and control my bending so I don't hurt people unintentionally."

Aang was quiet for a moment, then he said, "I think you _are_ supposed to be my fire bending teacher." Everyone looked at him in surprise as he went over to Zuko. Hoshiko especially, it seems she didn't need to vouch for Zuko after all, "When I first tried to learn fire bending, I burned Katara. And after that, I never wanted to fire bend again. But now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love." He made the typical fire bending greeting with his hands and bowed, "I'd like you to teach me."

Zuko let a small smile come onto his face, and he bowed in the typical Fire Nation greeting, "Thank you." He and Aang righted themselves, "I'm so happy you've accepted me into your group."

"Not so fast." Aang said, "I still have to ask my friends if it's okay with them." He turned around to face Toph, "Toph, you're the one that Zuko burned. What do you think?"

Toph was quiet for a moment, then said, "Go ahead and let him join." She clapped her fist in her hand with a grin, "It'll give me plenty of time to get back at him for burning my feet."

Aang smiled at her answer and turned to another, "Sokka?" Sokka looked between Aang and Zuko, then shrugged.

"Hey, all I want is to defeat the Fire Lord." He said, "If you think this is the way to do it, then… I'm all for it." Aang smiled and nodded.

He looked over at Kotaro and Hoshiko, "Kotaro?" He looked up from where he was holding Hoshiko to him. He looked over at Zuko, then back at Aang.

"I know he's a good guy." He said, "And he brought Hoshiko back to me." He pressed his face into her hair, making her smile, "Let him join."

"I'm with him." Hoshiko said, smiling as she leaned into him. Aang nodded and smiled again, pleased at the sight of the two of them reunited after so long.

"Katara?" He looked to the girl, who glared at Zuko, remembering his betrayal towards her in Ba-Sing-Se. Zuko's heart pounded in nervousness. If there was anyone who had a grudge against him, it was her. She turned to Aang.

"I'll go along with whatever you think is right." She said, sounding a little reluctant. Zuko smiled in relief.

"I won't let you down! I promise!" He said, walking towards them. No one said anything to him as they moved away, going about their business, leaving Zuko to go and get his things.

Katara went up to Hoshiko as she walked with Kotaro, holding his hand. "Hoshiko, you better let me take a look at your shoulder." Hoshiko nodded and followed her, Kotaro was with her as they went somewhere a little private so she could help heal her. Hoshiko removed the shoulder of her shirt and Katara undid the bandages, revealing the huge burn underneath. She pulled out her water and pressed it to the burn. Hoshiko hissed at the sudden coldness of the liquid, but quickly became used to it. Kotaro leaned over and kissed Hoshiko's cheek, his thumb rubbing the back of her hand in a comforting way. She smiled at him.

"I'm not in pain, don't worry." She assured him. Kotaro didn't say anything, he just stayed by her side. Katara moved the water around the burn soothingly, checking how bad it was. It didn't seem as bad as Aang's burn after Azula had shot at him, but Kotaro's lightning hadn't been meant to kill. "Is it bad?"

"Not too bad." Katara said, "If you let me work on it some more tonight, it could be healed by morning." Hoshiko nodded.

"Then I'll see you tonight." Hoshiko said. She moved her shirt back over her shoulder and stood up. "Is there a place where I can sleep tonight?"

"Beside me." Kotaro said, the two girls looked at him and saw his gaze was focused on Hoshiko, "This place has a lot of empty bedrooms, I bet we can find one big enough for both of us." Hoshiko smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Okay then." She said, her voice soft. Katara smiled at the pair, glad to see them back together. She got up, putting her water away and leaving them alone to have their own little moment.

* * *

Sokka led Zuko down the halls to one of the empty bedrooms of the temple.

"So, here you go." He said, gesturing to the room as Zuko walked in, "I guess, y'know, for now." Zuko perused around his room silently and Sokka stuck his head in, trying to sound friendly, "Unpack. Lunch… soon. Uh… Welcome aboard?" Zuko looked back at him, smiling and nodding in thanks. Sokka nodded in return, "Yeah." He turned around, leaving Zuko to get settled as he went back over to where Aang was, "Okay. This is really, really weird."

Aang let out a small chuckle, "It's an adjustment for all of us."

"Yeah, but I every time I look at him I get the urge to draw my sword." Sokka said, glancing back at the room.

"I'm sure you'll get used to him." Aang assured as they walked away.

Zuko began going through his things, taking something out of his bag. He looked at the portrait of his uncle, feeling a heavy weight on his heart as a memory surfaced in his mind.

_ "If I have to," Zuko said, "I will spend every day of the rest of my life hunting the avatar. I know it's my destiny to capture him." His uncle reached out and put a hand on Zuko's shoulder with a grin._

_ "You know, Prince Zuko," He began, "Destiny is a funny thing. You never know how things are going to work out, but if you keep an open mind and an open heart, I promise you will find your own destiny someday."_

Zuko smiled. His uncle had been right. He _did_ find his own destiny, but not at all in the way he expected it to be. Back then, he thought the avatar was the only thing standing in the way of his honor and his way home. He knew better now, of course, but he still had a lot of things to make up for, but hopefully, if he ever saw him again- No, _when_ he saw him again, he would be able to earn his forgiveness. The sound of footsteps caught his ears and he looked to see Katara standing in the doorway, a dark scowl on her face.

"You might have everyone else here buying your… 'transformation,'" She began, "But you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past." She walked into the room and came up to him. "So let me tell you something _right now_. You make _one_ step backward, _one_ slip-up, give me _one_ reason to think you might hurt Aang… and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends. Right then and there. _Permanently_." With that, she turned and walked out of the room.

Zuko couldn't really blame her for hating him, considering what had happened in Ba-Sing-Se, but he could only hope she would come to accept him with time.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a high-pitched squeal and saw a green flash run past his doorway, hearing a cry of "_Hoshiiiiii_!"

He went to the doorway and saw Hoshiko had been tackled by the reptilian girl he knew as Xana. She was hugging her tightly, and Kotaro was beside the two of them, trying to pull her off of Hoshiko so she could sit up. Xana had tears in her eyes as she spoke, "Hoshiko, you're alive! When Sokka told me you were dead, I was so miserable! I thought I'd never see you again, and I never told you how much I liked your sense of style!" Hoshiko let a small smile creep onto her face, "Yeah! And that would make you smile like that!" She jumped out of Kotaro's arms and back onto Hoshiko again, but she managed to stay standing this time as her friend held her in a vice. Hoshiko returned the embrace with a soft smile.

"Don't worry, I'm not dead yet." Hoshiko said, "I don't think Kotaro could kill me if he tried." She looked over at him, and saw him look away with a pained expression. She frowned, not thinking her joke had hurt him that much. She turned her attention back to Xana, "Besides, I'm not the only new member to this little team."

"Hmm?" Xana looked up at her questioningly, and Hoshiko pointed to Zuko. "Oh, hi Lee."

"Actually, that's Zuko." Kotaro said, "He used a fake name while he was with us at the encampment." Xana looked back at him, then back at Zuko. She unlatched herself from Hoshiko and leapt onto him to give him a hug. Zuko stumbled back at the sudden gesture, and his face flushed in embarrassment as he returned the embrace.

"Welcome to the group!" Xana said cheerfully, "It's nice to actually know your name!"

"Uh… yeah." Zuko said awkwardly, "Thanks." He looked back at Hoshiko and Kotaro, who were snickering a little. He gave them a helpless look, and Hoshiko reached over to pull Xana off of him.

"She does that a lot." She said, trying to excuse her friend's behavior. She tried to move her away, but she just latched back onto Hoshiko again. She sighed, "Really?"

"What can I say?" Xana said, "I'm in a huggy mood." She snuggled into Hoshiko. She suddenly gasped and jumped up, "Oh! You need to meet Haru and the others!"

"Who's Haru?" Hoshiko asked, only to let out a small yelp in surprise as Xana grabbed her wrist and started dragging her away. Kotaro let out a small chuckle at their behavior. He looked back at Zuko.

"So, how are things?" He asked, "I mean, so far."

"Well, I just got a death threat from one of your friends," Zuko said dryly, "So you can guess." Kotaro's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Don't tell me. It was Katara." He said, Zuko nodded. "She told us about that time in Ba-Sing-Se. Just give her some time to get used to you." Zuko nodded uneasily, not sure if Katara would be able to accept him at all. He looked down the hallway where he saw Xana introducing Hoshiko to Haru, Teo, and The Duke. He looked back at Kotaro, and saw he was watching the same thing.

"She's a lucky girl." Zuko said, catching his attention, "Getting back to you after all this time. If I hadn't found her in the bunker, she might have ended up a prisoner and never came back to you." Kotaro nodded slowly, looking back at Hoshiko.

"Thank you," He said quietly, "For bringing her back. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't." Zuko nodded once and Kotaro left, going over to Hoshiko and the others, who all seemed perfectly happy. Zuko watched their group a moment more, then went back to his room and shut the door.


	36. The Fire Bending Masters

36

Hoshiko was woken up by the feeling of light fingers brushing her temple. She opened her eyes and blearily saw Kotaro's face turn into a guilty expression.

"Sorry." He whispered quietly, "I didn't mean to wake you." Hoshiko rubbed her eye.

"You're still awake?" She asked tiredly, "What time is it?" A pained expression came on Kotaro's face and she looked at him sadly. She reached up to his cheek and gently moved her thumb along his cheek, "Kota, I promise, nothing will happen. I'll still be here when you wake up." She leaned up and shared a soft kiss with him, "_Please_ go to sleep." Kotaro leaned down and kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him.

There was plenty of room for them on the double bed they had found, but they were happy being so close together in the room they shared. They hadn't done anything physically in the bed besides make out, since both of them believe that kind of stuff was suited until after marriage, but sleeping together in the same bed did make it very tempting. Kotaro closed his eyes and Hoshiko rested her head on his chest, waiting until she heard the soft rhythm of his breathing that told her he was asleep before she closed her own eyes and joined him.

* * *

The next morning, Kotaro's eyes shot open, and for a terrifying second, he thought that everything that had happened yesterday had been a dream, until he felt a weight on his chest. He looked to see it was Hoshiko's dark head resting against him, her hand resting against his abdomen as she slept. He let out a soundless breath of relief and brought his arm up to her shoulder, gently rubbing it. He didn't realize this action would wake her up until she lifted up her head to look at him.

"Morning." She greeted sleepily, moving to rest her head on the pillow beside his.

"Good morning." Kotaro returned. He moved forward and shared a kiss with her. He moved onto his side so he could look at her more comfortably, and she smiled at him.

"You went to sleep, right?" Hoshiko asked, concerned for him.

"Yeah, I did, don't worry." Kotaro said, he reached up and gently brushed back some hair from her face. She smiled at the gesture and linked her fingers with his once his hand came back. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too." Hoshiko said, she frowned, "I'm really sorry Kota. If I had known that Kagemi would have done that, I would have never-"

"It's fine." Kotaro said.

"It's _not_ fine." Hoshiko said strongly, "Kotaro, I lost control of my body for a long time. If you hadn't struck her with lightning back at the invasion, I might not be here right now. And I was completely relying on the idea that you would be there, and I wasn't sure that you would be. Think of what might have happened if you didn't go with Aang. I wouldn't be here, and-" Kotaro shushed her ranting by putting his finger over her lips.

"I don't want to talk about that right now." He said, he pulled her closer to him, "All I want to focus on is you and me, right here, right now." He kissed her forehead, "Part of me is still afraid this is all a dream and that I'm going to wake up any second."

"Well, does this tell you it's real?" Hoshiko asked as she moved up and kissed him on the lips. She pulled away from him, and Kotaro smiled cheekily at her.

"A little bit." He said, "But I think I need more convincing." Hoshiko giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him again, a bit more slowly this time.

"How about now?" She asked him, smiling as she thought about what his answer might be.

"Almost." Kotaro replied, moving back in for another kiss. Hoshiko's shoulders shook with her laughter as he kissed her. When he pulled away, she still giggled, and he silenced her with another kiss. He moved so he would be on top of her, resting his forearms against the bed so as not to put too much weight on her as he still held her close, kissing her to his heart's content.

* * *

"You aren't coming with me."

"Oh, come _on_!"

"No, Kotaro. It's_ private_."

"It's a bath."

"That's my point!"

Laughter carried down the hall as Hoshiko walked to where the baths were in the temple, Kotaro following her. Everyone looked up when they heard them coming, Hoshiko giggling as Kotaro tickled her sides playfully. She pushed his hands away and dashed down the stairs to where Katara was serving everyone minus Aang and Zuko breakfast.

"Kotaro, I'm warning you!" Hoshiko said as she went down, ignoring the fact that everyone's eyes were on them.

"I'm not done yet!" Kotaro said, Hoshiko squealed and ran down across the platform to hide from him as he ran down after her. She ran behind Appa, who watched the two of them with a lazy expression on his face as they moved around him. Sokka scrunched up his nose, and The Duke stuck out his tongue in disgust.

"She's here for less than a _day_, and they're all lovey-dovey like that!" Sokka said, watching as Kotaro caught Hoshiko around the waist, making her squeal in laughter.

"I think it's cute." Xana said with a smile as she ate some of her breakfast.

"I think it's _cheesy_." The Duke said, he put down his bowl, "I can't even eat anymore."

"Well then, I'll take that." Teo said, reaching for the bowl and beginning to eat the food inside. The Duke looked at him with wide eyes.

"Hey, that was _my_ food!" The Duke said, snatching his bowl back.

"Oh, let them have their fun." Haru said, "They haven't seen each other in a while, let the soul mates be as cheesy as they want."

"A_men_!" Xana said in agreement, holding up her spoon with a grin. Sokka looked at Haru oddly.

"How do _you_ know about that soul-thingy?" Sokka asked, wondering just where he got that information.

"Xana told me." Haru replied, as if it were obvious. Xana grinned widely, showing her sharpened teeth and, without realizing it, scaring Sokka a little bit.

Hoshiko went over to Katara, smiling as she pulled Kotaro off her, "Katara, can you tell me where the baths are?"

"Sure." Katara said, Hoshiko waved goodbye to Kotaro as she followed her water bending friend to the baths the temple had that, surprisingly, still worked after being abandoned for a hundred years. Kotaro watched her leave, his eyes in a sort of dreamy state as he did. Sokka looked up at him, seeing the completely goofy, love-struck look on his face as he kept watching them.

"Dude, you're drooling." He said, Kotaro jumped slightly at his voice.

"What?" He looked to see everyone was staring at him, and he flushed in embarrassment. "Ah… sorry." He moved to sit down, serving himself some breakfast and joining the others.

"I can't believe how easily manipulated you are by a girl." Sokka said, sounding like he was scolding him.

"Oh, I bet if you found the right girl, Sokka, you wouldn't be any different." Xana said, pointing her chopsticks at him, "You would be just as dumb as Kotaro is now. By the way, I think the way you two act is very sweet." Kotaro's face flushed a little more red in embarrassment.

"Yeah, well…" He scratched behind his head. He focused his attention on his food as everyone continued to speak.

"Everyone has a different way of experiencing romance," Xana continued, sounding like a sage of wisdom, "Kotaro's way just happens to be similar to puppy love-no pun intended."

"So is that why Haru acts all normal around you even though you two make out like crazy?" Sokka asked slyly. The two teens' faces blushed brightly. Kotaro looked up at them with a sly smirk.

"Xana?" He asked in surprise, "You and _Haru_?"

"D-Don't be ridiculous!" Xana said quickly, stuffing her face with food to try and hide her embarrassment, "We're juth goo' fwendth!"

"What she said." Haru said, before focusing on his own breakfast to try and forget about his embarrassment.

* * *

Hoshiko let out a pleased sigh as she sank into the warm water of the bath. She looked up at her friend, "Thanks for heating up the water, Katara."

"No problem." She said, she turned to let Hoshiko bathe in peace and get back to the others. Hoshiko enjoyed the silence, being alone in the large bath of the air temple. It was about the size of a small pool, and the wall was lined with mirrors, old, dusty, and slightly broken and in disrepair mirrors, but still mirrors. As she bathed herself, she heard the murmur of voices and turned her head, trying to focus on where it was coming from as they spoke.

"I know you're nervous," It sounded like Zuko, "But remember, fire bending, in it of itself, is not something to fear."

Someone else let out a relieved sigh, "Okay… Not something to fear." It must have been Aang. Hoshiko moved over to the side of the bath and saw that Zuko and Aang were about one story down from the floor where the outdoor bath was. It must have been time for Aang's first fire bending lesson.

"But if you don't respect it, _it'll chew you up and spit you out like an angry komodo rhino_!" Zuko said, his words sending Aang reeling for a moment. Hoshiko let out a small giggle and crossed her arms on the side of the bath, getting comfortable as she watched them practice. Neither of them seemed to notice her. "Now, show me what you've got. Any amount of fire you can make." Aang nodded and took in a deep breath before taking a stance, then shooting his hand out, only to send out a tiny puff of smoke.

Hoshiko probably shouldn't have been surprised, but she was. Aang did say that fire bending was difficult for him, and with the way the world treated fire benders, naturally, the bending was suppressed by all the time he hadn't spent using it. Her tail, which had yet to be put in the water, moved back and forth as she interestedly watched the two. Aang looked over at Zuko sheepishly.

"Maybe I need a little more instruction." He said, he looked at Zuko hopefully, "Perhaps a demonstration?"

"Good idea." Zuko said, he held out his hand, "You might want to take a couple steps back." Aang did so, remembering how great Zuko's fire bending power had been. Hoshiko wanted to see this, her tail began wagging a little faster as she anticipated Zuko's first fire bending move as Aang's instructor. She watched him take a deep breath, then, with an angry cry, shot out his fist to produce… barely enough fire to light a candle. Now Hoshiko was _really_ surprised, what happened to Zuko's great ability in fire bending? Aang applauded him, while Zuko looked just as surprised and confused as Hoshiko felt.

"What was _that?_!" Zuko asked, standing up straight, "That was the worst fire bending I've ever _seen_!" Hoshiko had to disagree with him on that, Aang's tiny puff had been much worse compared to Zuko's little bit of fire.

"I thought it was…nice." Aang said, trying to cheer him up. She watched Zuko perform a few more moves, all producing the same amount, or less, of the fire he had produced a moment ago.

Zuko let out and angry groan and glared at his hands, "Why's this happening_?_!"

"Maybe it's the altitude." Aang suggested.

"Yeah… could be." Zuko said, although he sounded like he didn't believe it. He and Aang left the area to found somewhere else for Zuko to practice his bending so he could properly teach Aang.

Once they were gone, Hoshiko turned around, sitting back down in the bath, putting her hand to her chin in thought. Just what was that about? She was sure it wasn't the altitude, seeing as she and Zuko had both fought off 'Combustion Man' with their bending just yesterday. But if the altitude wasn't the problem, then what was? She didn't understand. She had never experienced repressed bending before because Kagemi had always been so anxious to show off her power. Then again, she hadn't tried bending since yesterday either. She wondered if she was the same as Zuko, and tested her theory by trying to manipulate the shadows around her. She only wanted to form a small shadow ball, and that's exactly what she did, but it came out much bigger than she expected, and she let out a yelp as it popped like a giant balloon, reverting back to its original state.

Apparently, she was the opposite of Zuko. Instead of her bending being repressed, it was overpowered. She looked at her hands, fearfully wondering if Kagemi was going to try and take over again. She quickly shook the thought from her mind. She would never let Kagemi be seen again. While she was the one inside, she knew that Kagemi had more power than her, and was able to keep her there. She knew for a fact that, unless she got some help from the outside, Kagemi wouldn't get a chance to take over unless she allowed her to, which she wouldn't. Perhaps it was because of her resolve to not let Kagemi return that her power had grown. Kagemi had always been the stronger bender, and maybe now she had access to all the power that Kagemi had, like removing a flood gate and letting the water spill out. Now she needed to learn to better control that power, otherwise she just might lose control, which was the last thing she wanted.

* * *

Later on that day, after the sun had set, everyone gathered around a fire pit and ate dinner. Hoshiko and Kotaro sat as close to each other as possible, which meant that Hoshiko was just one tiny scoot away from sitting in Kotaro's lap, and she really did want to, but Sokka had made a point to them to 'bring the cheesy love show down a few notches'. So that's why they were that way at the moment.

They were all chatting and enjoying their meal. Hoshiko looked around when she noticed someone missing, and saw Zuko standing off to the side of them, his arms crossed as he leaned against a pillar. She turned her attention back to her food. Zuko was probably worried about why his fire bending wasn't working, and she didn't want to upset him by telling him she saw.

She looked up when he started approaching them saying, "Listen everybody, I've got some pretty bad news." His shoulders slumped, "I've lost my stuff."

"Don't look at me!" Toph said quickly, holding up her hands, "I didn't touch your stuff."

"I'm talking about my fire bending." Zuko said, "It's gone."

Laughter broke through the silence and everyone looked to see that it was Katara. Zuko scowled, as well as a few others in the group, "I'm sorry." She said, "I'm just laughing at the irony. You know how it would have been nice for us if you'd lost your fire bending a long time ago?"

"Well, it's not lost." Zuko said, "It's just… weaker, for some reason."

"Maybe you're just not as good as you think you are." Katara said before eating some of her soup.

"Ouch." Toph said with a grin.

Zuko scowled again, and Hoshiko put her hand to her chin in thought. "I wonder…" She said quietly, she looked up at Zuko, "Do you think it might be because you changed sides?"

"That's ridiculous." Katara said.

"I don't know." Aang said, "Maybe it isn't. Maybe your fire bending comes from rage, and you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to."

"Considering how testy you were when we first met," Kotaro put in, "It's a decent theory."

"_Soooo_, all we need to do is make Zuko angry!" Sokka said, standing up, "Easy enough." He started poking Zuko with his sheathed sword, giggling like a child as he poked his side three times, his head twice, then his other side another three times.

Getting increasingly irritated, Zuko snapped, "_Okay_! Cut it out!" Sokka jumped, his sword flying out of his hands and landing on his head. Zuko reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to calm down, "Look, even if you're right, I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore. There has to be another way."

"You're gonna need to learn to draw your fire bending from a different source." Toph said, "I recommend the original source." Sokka sat down next to her, rubbing the spot his sword had landed on.

"How's he supposed to do that? By jumping into a volcano?" Sokka asked eagerly.

"No." Toph said, making his expression fall, "Zuko needs to go back to whatever the original source of fire bending is."

"So… is it jumping into a volcano?" Sokka asked again.

"I don't know." Toph snapped, "For earth bending, the original earth benders were badger moles. One day, when I was little, I ran away and hid in a cave. That's where I met them. They were blind, just like me, so we understood each other. I was able to learn earth bending not just as a martial art, but as an extension of my senses. For them, the original earth benders, it wasn't just about fighting, it was their way of interacting with the world."

"That's amazing Toph." Aang said, "I learned from the monks, but the original air benders were the sky bison." He looked back at where Appa was eating hay for his dinner and said, "Maybe you can give me a lesson sometime, buddy!"

Appa only responded with a grunt.

"Well, this doesn't help me." Zuko said, "The original fire benders were the dragons, and they're extinct."

"What do you mean?" Aang asked, "Roku had a dragon, and there were plenty of dragons when I was a kid."

"Well they aren't around anymore, okay_?_!" Zuko snapped.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." Aang said, surprised by his sudden outburst.

"Aang, dragons have been hunted to extinction." Hoshiko said gently. Aang frowned sadly at the mention of it.

"Maybe there's another way." Zuko said, getting everyone's attention, "The first people to learn from the dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors."

"Sun Warriors?" Aang repeated in confusion, "Well, I know _they_ weren't around when I was a kid." He looked at Hoshiko to see if she had any information about them, and she just shrugged her shoulders.

"No, they died off thousands of years ago." Zuko said, "But, their civilization isn't too far from where we are now. Maybe we can learn something by poking around their ruins." Zuko turned and looked out at the other side of the cliff, looking in the direction of where the ruins were.

"It's like the monks used to tell me. Sometimes the shadows of the past can be felt by the present." Aang said.

"So… what? You're gonna pick up some freaky Sun Warrior energy just by standing where they stood a thousand years ago?" Kotaro asked doubtfully.

"More or less." Zuko said, "Either I find a new way to fire bend, or the avatar has to find a new teacher." Aang grimaced at the thought.

"Well, you two can set off for the ruins tomorrow." Hoshiko said, "Use Appa. Air travel is the fastest, after all." Zuko nodded in agreement, "In the meantime, why don't you sit and join us? We still have some dinner." Zuko smiled at the offer and took a seat on Hoshiko's other side. Katara handed him a bowl of soup for him to eat.

"You know, since we're talking about original sources of bending," Teo began, "What about you guys?" he looked at Xana, Kotaro, and Hoshiko.

"The sources of _our_ bending?" Xana asked, her only visible golden eye wide, "Well, sand bending is just another form of earth bending when you get down to it." She shrugged.

Teo looked over at Kotaro, and he looked surprised at the question. "Um…" He reached up and scratched the back of his head, "I think my people were originally fire benders, but after watching thunder and lightning storms, we learned to put more power into our attacks, and just became so accustomed to lightning that it was all we knew." Teo looked at Hoshiko, who looked away unsurely.

"Uh… well…" She bit her lip, "Actually… the origins of shadow bending are pretty fuzzy at best. I really don't know who the original benders were. But, back when I was a kid, I heard this story, and this was back when I was too old for bedtime stories. It said that shadow benders were the children of pure darkness, and that they were born to unleash havoc and chaos on the world." Everyone looked at her oddly, and she smiled sheepishly and shrugged, "Of course, it's just an old bedtime story." She took another spoonful of soup into her mouth, trying to ignore the pointed stares at her.

* * *

After gathering up a few things and saying goodbye to everyone, Zuko and Aang set off on Appa to where the Sun Warrior ruins lay on an island near the mainland where the Western Air Temples were built. Originally, Zuko had been secretly thrilled at the idea of riding on the flying bison, but after the first hour, that thrill soon withered and died. He started to get impatient after the second hour, and after the third, he was just downright antsy. He suddenly wished he had brought something with him to help pass the time.

"We've been riding for hours." He said to Aang as he sat in the saddle, "I don't know why, but I thought this thing would be a lot faster." He looked down pointedly at the bison, who only let out a grunt at his words. Zuko knew why he thought Appa would be faster, of course. He had been chasing after the bison for the good portion of a year, he just naturally assumed it was faster than the ships he used. Apparently, he wasn't that much faster.

"Appa's right, Zuko." Aang said, looking back at him from where he sat at Appa's head, "In our group, typically we start out our missions with a more upbeat attitude."

Zuko let out a groan and slumped against the saddle, muttering, "I can't believe this…"

"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it." Aang assured. Zuko didn't respond.

He didn't have to wait long, however. Because just a few minutes later, land came in sight, and they flew in, Zuko directing Aang as to where the ruins lay. They were quickly found, and they looked at the ruins in awe, amazed by the sheer mass and size of it all.

They landed Appa near the front of it, and Aang made sure to leave him near a large group of edible foliage in case he got hungry. Then, the two of them made their journey through the ruins.

Not long after they entered, Zuko spoke as he looked around at the buildings, "Even though these buildings are ancient," He began, "There's something eerily familiar about them. I can tell the Fire Sage's temples are somehow descended from these."

"Okay, we've learned something about architecture." Aang said with an optimistic smile, "Hopefully, we'll learn something about fire bending, too." He looked over his shoulder at Zuko as he continued to speak, "The past can be a great teacher-" he suddenly felt his ankle catch on something, making him trip over, and he saw the ground before him turn to huge, black spikes. He let out a startled yelp, and quickly shot air out of his lungs to push him over the spikes and safely onto the other side, although, he landed on the edge, and it took him a minute to regain his balance, but he soon did. He looked back at Zuko with wide, fearful eyes, "Zuko, I think the past is trying to kill me!"

Zuko knelt down to look at the tripwire Aang had activated, "I can't believe it." He said, "This booby trap must be centuries old, and it still works."

"There's probably a lot more." Aang said, looking around with wide eyes, "Maybe this means we shouldn't be here." Zuko took a few steps back, and then ran forward, taking a small turn to run along the wall where the spikes were hidden, and he safely landed on the other side, smirking at Aang.

"Where's that upbeat attitude you were talking about?" He asked playfully. "Besides," He looked up at the building in the distance, "People don't make traps unless they've got something worth protecting." Aang looked back at the building as well, unsure of what to make of their situation.

* * *

Hoshiko let out a sigh as she lay down on the stone floor of the platform of the temple. She looked up at the huge cliff that lay just across the way. She wondered just how many feet it was between the temples and the other cliff, and how long it would take to cross it if there was a bridge between the two. She looked up when a pair of bare feet came by her head and she looked up at Toph.

"Where's lover boy?" She asked, Hoshiko grinned.

"He's taking a nap." She said, "He said we had nothing to do today anyway, so he decided it would be good for us if we both rested up."

Toph raised an eyebrow, "And how'd that work out for you?"

"I said I wasn't tired, but I gave him a kiss." Hoshiko said with a shrug.

"You two are so _mushy_." Toph said, taking a seat beside Hoshiko's head. She let out a small chuckle.

"Yeah, we really are, aren't we?" She said, she looked over at Toph as she linked her fingers behind her head. "I would have thought you would have been disgusted by it."

"Oh, I am." Toph said, putting her elbow on her knee and resting her head on her fist as she turned her head to look in Hoshiko's general direction, but not really 'looking' at her, "But, I can also tell that what you're feeling is real, and I think it's… nice." Hoshiko raised an eyebrow in surprise at Toph's softness. She would have thought that Toph would have been begging her to stop the mushy stuff. "I can feel your heartbeats when you two are near each other. It's actually pretty freaky, but they almost match up perfectly. And when you're not together, but you see each other, your hearts just go crazy. I almost wish you could feel Kotaro's when he sees you. Half the time I think he's about to have a heart attack." Hoshiko chuckled.

"I think I'm glad I don't." She said, "If I thought he was going to have a heart attack when he sees me, I'd stay as far away from him as possible."

Toph was quiet for a moment, then said, "What's it feel like?"

"What? Being with him?" Hoshiko asked, Toph nodded.

"I wanna know about the love life." She said. Hoshiko blushed a little.

"Well, you already know how I feel." She said, "You can feel my heartbeat, can't you?"

"Yeah, but I want to know what else you feel." Toph said, "Not just the physical stuff."

"Well…" Hoshiko began to think, "It's… hm…. It's hard to describe. It's like," She brought up her hands to try and visualize what she was saying, "When I'm with him… It's… I feel like…" She sighed in frustration, "Well…" She looked over at Toph, "Do you remember the first time you ever started earth bending?"

"Sure." Toph said.

"And… do you remember the first time you ever ate your favorite food?" Hoshiko asked.

"That was a looong time ago. I don't remember that." Toph said.

"Okay, it's like those two things… sort of mixed together times ten." Hoshiko said, "It's a poor explanation to the stuff I actually feel, but it's the best I can manage in words."

"Huh." Toph said, "I'm guessing it's a lot more complicated than that?"

"_So_ much more complicated." Hoshiko said.

The two of them were silent a moment longer, then Toph said, "Hey! You know what we should do?"

"What?"

"Battle!"

Hoshiko looked at her in surprise, then grinned, "Why not? I could use a refresher on battling." Toph grinned widely and they both stood up, heading off somewhere to start their battle.

* * *

Aang and Zuko climbed up the last of the stairs of the building they had seen earlier, at the top they saw an interesting mural at the top of two dragons breathing out fire onto one of the Sun Warriors, who held up his hands as the fire circled around him.

"Look, this seems promising." Aang said when he saw it, "Though, I'm not sure what this tells us about the original source of fire bending."

Zuko looked at the two dragons and their glaring eyes, "They look pretty angry to me."

"I thought the dragons were friends with the Sun Warriors." Aang said confusedly.

"Well, they had a funny way of showing it." Zuko replied. He looked at the mural a second longer, then turned to walk away, thinking he and Aang should move on.

"Zuko," Aang called to him, "Something happened to the dragons in the last hundred years. Something you're not telling me."

"My great-grandfather Sozin happened." Zuko said, then he walked on. Aang followed him as they headed down a path decorated with stone dragons, "He started the tradition of hunting dragons for glory. They were the ultimate fire benders, and if you could conquer one, your fire bending talents would become legendary and you'd earn the honorary title 'Dragon.'" He walked to the end of the path, where one of the largest stone dragons' head had come off the statue, and he looked at the glaring eye of the stone fire breather, "The last great dragon was conquered long before I was born… by my uncle." He reached up and touched the eye, as if he were shutting the dragon's eyelid as one would do with a dead friend.

"But, I thought your uncle was… I don't know, good?" Aang said, his confusion now growing.

"He had a complicated past." Zuko said, "Family tradition, I guess." He moved away from the stone dragon and up the stairs to the building ahead, "Let's just move on." Aang followed him up and when they reached the top, they saw a large tower with a big red sun stone at the top, ten feet away from a large stone gate. Aang went up to the stone gate and tried to yank it open, to no avail.

"It's locked up!" He said to Zuko. He looked at the door, and he looked at the ground, seeing a large circular carving on the ground, a small red light shining on part of it.

"Wait," He looked up at the tower, and then down at the light, "It's a celestial calendar. Just like the Fire Sages have in their temples." He could really see the similarities between the Sun Warrior buildings and the temples now. He looked up at the red sun stone at the top of the gate. "I bet that sun stone opens the door, but only when sunlight hits it at just the right angle. On the solstice."

"Monkey feathers!" Aang cursed, "The solstice again? We can't wait here that long!"

"No we can't." Zuko said, pulling out one of his dao blades, "But maybe we can speed time up." He knelt down and used the reflective surface of the blade to reflect the light that came from the tower's stone. "Let's see if we can outsmart the sun stone." He maneuvered the blade to make the reflection travel up the wall until it was directly on the sun stone on the gate. Aang looked up at it, and saw that the sun stone glowed with the light, but not much else.

"Nothing's happening." He said, thinking maybe they really would need to wait until the solstice to get inside.

"Come on…!" Zuko said, determined to get the gate open with the sun stone. Not too much longer, and the ground began to rumble, and the gate doors opened up wide. Aang smiled and Zuko put his blade away with a small smile, proud of his work.

"You know, Zuko," Aang began as the fire bender came up to him, "I don't care what everyone else says about you. You're pretty smart." He elbowed him good-naturedly before walking in. Zuko smiled at the compliment, then frowned when he realized what Aang was saying. Aang walked in and squinted to try and see in the dimness of the room, and gasped, jumping back when he saw the glaring eyes of a man.

"Relax, it's just a statue." Zuko said, he looked around the room to see there were actually a lot of statues there. They all seemed to be of the same man in different poses, and it was completely symmetrical, because for one statue on one side of the room, there was another in the same pose. It continued on in a circle and the two of them walked in, looking at the statues like one would look at artifacts in a museum. Aang went over behind the first statue he had seen and saw something had been written just behind its foot. The text was clearly very old, but there is some benefit from travelling around the world as a student of the air temples a hundred years ago. Better education in ancient text just like that one, so he was able to translate it perfectly.

"It says this is something called 'The Dancing Dragon.'" He said to Zuko, who didn't really seem to care what the name was. Aang, curious as to the statue's pose, put his staff down and stepped back to imitate it. He jumped when he felt the ground sink underneath his foot, and he looked down to see his stance had triggered something on the stone floor beneath him. He watched as the button moved back into place. He looked around at all the statues, and he smiled. He went over to Zuko and grabbed his arm. "Zuko, get over here! I want you to dance with me!"

"_What?_!" Zuko exclaimed in surprise, trying to yank his arm back, but Aang kept a firm grip on him.

"Just do it!" Aang pleaded, and he dragged Zuko to the place behind the second statue that was similar to the first, and Aang went to the other. Zuko groaned, but complied with Aang's request.

"Let's follow the steps of the statues." Aang said to him, Zuko said nothing as he did as Aang wanted, taking the first stance, then the one next to it at the same time Aang did. When he felt the earth beneath him sink, he realized it was a button on the floor, and his eyes flashed in surprise. "Don't you see? These aren't dance moves, these statues are giving us a lesson." He and Zuko began to finish out the rest of the steps. "I think this is some kind of Sun Warrior fire bending form."

"This better teach us some really good fire bending." Zuko said, because he felt like an idiot performing all these dance moves. They quickly finished the dance, and the ground rumbled again, and they looked behind them to see the center of the floor open up and a pedestal came out, holding a large, golden, egg-shaped… something on top.

"Hooray!" Aang cheered, but quickly stopped, "Wait. What exactly is that?"

"It's some kind of mystical gemstone." Zuko said as he went up to it.

"Well don't touch it!" Aang said quickly.

"Why not?" Zuko asked.

"Remember what happened out there with those spikes?" Aang asked, he looked at the golden egg warily, "I'm just very suspicious of giant, glowing gems sitting on pedestals." Zuko ignored him and went to pick it up. Aang's eyebrow twitched in irritation, but he didn't stop him as Zuko held it up.

"It feels… almost alive." He said, feeling the warmth the 'gemstone' had. After a moment, he moved to put it back, and shouted out when a huge fountain of green gloop shot out of the pedestal and shot him up to the ceiling, landing him on a grated hole on the top of the ceiling and sticking there.

Aang looked back at the doors and watched as they quickly closed. "Oh, no! It's another trap!" He jumped back as more of the dark green stuff began to pour out of the pedestal where Zuko had picked up the gemstone.

Zuko tried to move away from the goop to help Aang, but found he couldn't. "I can't get free! It's like some kind of glue!" Aang ran back to where his staff was and grabbed it before the glue could swallow it up and used his air bending to try and get Zuko free, but only succeeded in flipping him over so instead of facing the floor, Zuko was facing the world outside the grate. The wave of air that surrounded Aang had managed to move some of the glue away, but now it was closing in on him, and it had managed to get a hold of his staff! Hurriedly, he tried to pull it out, but the glue stuck and did not release the staff. To avoid being sucked into the glue, Aang jumped up to the grate on the ceiling, which he only realized was covered in the glue after he had grabbed it. He tried to yank himself free, but he could not.

"I can't move!" He said, "Zuko, do something!"

"Me? I can't move either!" Zuko said. They remained stuck as the glue continued to fill up the room until it came up to them, and began pushing against them. They both groaned as they felt the sudden pressure on their bodies from it, but it stopped a moment later, the amount of glue that had come out had apparently emptied.

"It stopped." Aang said in surprise.

"At least we have air." Zuko said, now thankful that Aang had flipped him over with his air bending, at the time he just found it annoying, "Maybe if we stay calm, we can figure a way out of this." Aang nodded as best he could in agreement, and tried to think of how he could get them out and back to safety.

* * *

"Whew!" Hoshiko sighed in relief once she and Toph had finished their battle. Toph had various scratches on her where Hoshiko had managed to knick the earth bender, and Hoshiko was covered in dirt, with a few bruises forming here and there on her arms and legs. She and Toph both collapsed on their behinds to rest, because they were both incredibly exhausted. "I gotta hand it to you Toph, you're an amazing earth bender."

"You're just figuring that out _now_?" Toph asked with a grin. Hoshiko laughed and lay down on her back, "But you're pretty good, too. You really snuck up on me a few times back there."

"That's only because I suspended the shadows." Hoshiko said, "Unless you can feel shadows?"

Toph shook her head, "I can only feel them when someone's bending them. They seem to get a little more solid then, and I can feel the weight they carry."

"I wasn't aware shadows weighed anything." Hoshiko said.

"It's only when you're bending them." Toph said, "Nothing else." Hoshiko didn't say anything else, just trying to catch her breath as she lay there. After a moment, she got up and Toph did the same. They headed back to where they had been speaking earlier, and saw Katara was handing out some dinner, the sun was beginning to go down in the distance. She looked at the two of them and gasped.

"What happened to you two?" She asked.

"We had a fight." Hoshiko said with a smile.

"And it was _awesome_!" Toph said, pumping her fists in the air, "You got a pretty strong lady on your side, Wolfy, I gotta say." Kotaro smiled.

"Of course she is." Hoshiko smiled at him and moved to sit next to him. Katara handed her a bowl of stew to eat for dinner and handed Toph another and they both began to eat. Hoshiko looked around and noticed that Aang and Zuko were not among them.

"Are Aang and Zuko still at the ruins?" She asked.

Katara frowned worriedly, "I think so." She began to slowly stir the stew to keep it from burning, "I'm getting worried about them. I hope they get back soon."

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Kotaro assured, "Maybe Zuko underestimated the time they'd have to spend flying and it's a day-long trip." Katara didn't look assured, but she took his comfort anyway. Hoshiko looked out at the horizon, seeing it was getting very close to night time, and if Zuko and Aang didn't hurry, they might not be able to return until tomorrow.

* * *

Aang glared up at the night sky as he and Zuko were still trapped in the glue.

"You _had_ to pick up the glowing egg, didn't you?" He said dryly to him.

"At least I made something happen!" Zuko snapped back, "If it were up to you, we'd have never had made it past the courtyard!"

"HELP!" Aang hollered.

"Who are you yelling to?" Zuko asked, trying to ignore the sudden ringing in his ears from Aang's shout, "Nobody's lived here for centuries!"

"Well, what do _you_ think we should do?" Aang asked.

Zuko paused, then looked up at the stars and said, "Think about our place in the universe?"

Aang sighed, but realized if they thought about that, it could at least take up a good deal of their time, and philosophical discussions like that can sometimes take years to finish. Luckily, they didn't need to wait years, because someone came up to the grate.

"Who is down there?" A voice asked angrily, the two boys looked up in shock to see a large man with his face painted, and dressed in tribal-like clothing.

"Um… help?" Zuko asked. The man narrowed his eyes, and called out something in an old tongue that neither Zuko nor Aang understood. A few moments later a few more came up, an interesting mix of humans and coyote Shinjuns. They removed the grate, taking the two of them with them and bringing over two creatures. Their long snouts included long tongues that shot out from their mouths and the saliva somehow loosened their bodies from the grate. Aang noticed that the large man, and a Shinjun coyote woman who looked rather old, were watching them as they kept getting licked by the two creatures. They set them down on the outer side of the stone gate and let the creatures lick all of the remaining glue off their bodies.

"For trying to take our sun stone," The man said, "You must be severely punished!"

"We didn't come here to take your sun stone." Zuko said, "We came here to find the ancient origin of all fire bending." The Shinjun woman looked at them, an amused twinkle shining in her eyes, though her face didn't show it.

"Yeah, right." One of the warriors said sarcastically, holding the golden, glowing egg that Zuko had picked up earlier, "They are obviously thieves, here to steal Sun Warrior treasures." The woman held out her arm, her staff blocking him from the two.

"Be quiet." She said, "We will allow these two trespassers to make their case, thieves or no."

"But they tried to sneak in!" A younger Shinjun girl argued, her clothes were different from the other Sun Warriors, dressed in a darker shade of red, just as the older Shinjun woman was, who regarded her with an unreadable expression, "They set off the trap and everything! Everything that comes out of their mouths must be lies!"

"Quiet, Inuka!" The woman ordered, the girl flinched and stepped back, clearly not wanting to disrespect her.

"Please," Aang said, getting their attention, "I don't normally play this card, but…" He paused for dramatic effect, "I'm the avatar." The Sun Warrior who had spoken up before looked between Aang and the large man, who was clearly the chief, wondering what they should do as Aang and Zuko stood up. "Just hear us out."

"My name is Zuko. Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. Or, at least, I used to be." Zuko began, "I know my people have distorted the ways of fire bending, to be fueled by anger and rage. But now I want to learn the true way. The original way. When we came here, I never imagined that the Sun Warrior civilization was secretly alive! I am truly humbled to be in your presence." He bowed to them, and Aang did the same. "Please, teach us." The Shinjun girl who had spoken up before, Inuka, let out a 'tsk'. The Shinjun woman swiftly smacked her on the head with her staff.

"Ow!" She hissed, going up and rubbing the spot she had hit. She glared at the woman behind her back as she tried to keep her head covered with her hands, her ears drooping.

"If you wish to learn the ways of the sun," The woman began, "You must learn them from the masters: Ran and Sha."

"Ran and Sha?" Aang repeated, "There are two of them?"

"When you present yourselves to them," The chief continued, "They will examine you. They'll read your hearts, your souls, and your ancestry." He moved to Zuko, who grimaced in fear at the notion of having his dragon-killing, war-starting family history read before the two masters, "If they deem you worthy, they'll teach you. If they don't, you'll be _destroyed on the spot_."

Aang and Zuko shared a fearful glance, wondering just what these masters were like, and whether or not they would live.

* * *

Hoshiko slid into the bed, beside Kotaro, who smiled at her, his arm immediately going around her waist and bringing him closer to her. He kissed her forehead, her nose, and her lips. Hoshiko giggled as he did so.

"You're just so full of affection lately." She said to him.

"I missed you." Kotaro said, kissing underneath her chin, "Is it so wrong to want to be near someone after you've been separated for so long?" He kissed her neck, and her breath hitched.

"It's not wrong." She said, "I'm just making an observation." She moved her hands underneath his chin and brought his face up to hers to share a kiss with him.

"What kind of observation?" Kotaro asked. Hoshiko smirked and kissed him again and again, slowly moving on top of him as they both lay under the covers.

"Just observations about you." Hoshiko said, kissing him again, feeling Kotaro's hands drop down to her hips, "Like the way you like to hold me." She kissed his nose, like he had done for her, "Or where you like to be teased." She reached up and scratched the area behind his wolf ears, and he let out a low growl in pleasure.

"You're treading in dangerous waters, doing that." He said with a mischievous little smirk on his face. Hoshiko mirrored it.

"Oh, am I?" She asked cheekily. Kotaro let out a growl and deftly flipped them over so he was on top, and he feign attacked her neck. Hoshiko let out laughter as he did so, but it quickly turned to deep sighs, and soft moans of pleasure. She held him close, and moved his face up to hers, and they shared deep kisses until their hunger for each other was sated and they moved to get ready for sleep.

"Do you think Aang and Zuko are alright?" She asked him as he settled down next to her.

"Hmm?" He closed his eyes as he got ready for sleep, "I'm sure they're fine. They're both pretty tough and pretty smart. Whatever's happening, I'm sure they'll make it out okay." Hoshiko wasn't completely assured, but she closed her eyes to try and fall asleep anyway.

* * *

The next morning, after getting served a very strange, but surprisingly delicious breakfast by the Sun Warriors, Zuko and Aang followed the tribe up to a place where a huge fire burned in a giant hearth. The chief and the tribe priestess, as the Shinjun woman said she was, stood in front of them along with a few other members of the tribe.

"If you're going to see the masters," The priestess said, "You must bring them a piece of the Eternal Flame."

The chief turned to the fire burning behind him, "This fire is the very _first_ one." He turned back to Zuko and Aang, "It was given to man by the dragons. We have kept it going for thousands of years."

"I don't believe it…" Zuko breathed in awe.

"You will each take a piece of it to the masters." The chief instructed them, "To show your commitment to the sacred art of fire bending."

"Um… Mister Sun Chief, sir?" Aang began awkwardly, "Yeah… I'm not a fire bender yet. Couldn't my friend here carry my fire for me?"

"No." The chief and the priestess said at the same time. They both turned around, ignoring Aang's nervous expression as they used fire bending to take some of the fire and put it into their hands, holding it out to Zuko and Aang.

"This ritual illustrates the essence of Sun Warrior philosophy." The priestess began, she looked to Aang, "You must maintain a constant heat, the flame will go out if you make it too small."

"Make it too big," The chief said, looking at Zuko, "And you might lose control." Zuko reached out without hesitation and took the piece of the flame from the chief and held it. He looked over at Aang, who looked at the piece of fire anxiously.

"I'm sorry," He said to the priestess, "I'm just a little nervous." He reached out his hands around the fire, cringing in fear, and the priestess moved her hands away. Aang held the little flame, and his expression softened into a relieved and awed smile. "It's… like a little heartbeat."

"Fire is life," The priestess said, a gentle expression on her aged face, "Not just destruction. Without fire, man would not be here today. It gives us our food and keeps us warm, and lights our way into the darkness." Aang looked up at her, and she gave him a soft smile.

"You will take the flames up there." The chief pointed to a split mountain top, "The cave of the masters is beneath that rock."

"However, you do not know the pathway since neither of you have seen it." The priestess said, "And so, a guide will be assigned to you. Inuka!" The Shinjun girl in question jumped to attention. "You will lead the avatar and the Fire Nation prince to the masters." She looked at her with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"Why _me?_!" She demanded, her voice almost screeching. The human Sun Warrior who had spoken up the night before snickered into his hand. Inuka glared at him to get him to shut up, "You can't honestly expect me to-" The priestess glared at her, and she flinched back. With a reluctant sigh, she said, "Yes, grandmother." Aang and Zuko's eyes widened. She was the priestess's granddaughter?

* * *

Inuka led the way up the path to the split mountain, a scowl seeming to be permanently planted on her face as she easily moved through the pathway, Zuko and Aang trailing just behind her. She looked back over her shoulder at them, "Come on, I don't have all day! I'd like to get to the mountain top before the sun goes down!"

"Well, maybe if _you_ were carrying a piece of the Eternal Flame, you'd understand why we're going so slowly!" Zuko hollered at her. Aang brought up the last of their group, carefully protecting his small flame with his hand.

"Oh, boo-hoo." Inuka snapped at him as he came up, her tail flicking back and forth, "Poor you." He glared at her as he came up to where she stood, she glared back, "You think I _want_ to waste my time guiding a couple of ignorant outsiders to the masters? I have better ways to spend my mornings!"

"We're just trying to learn some fire bending." Aang said as he came up to her.

"You're the avatar." Inuka said with a scowl, "You were hidden for a hundred years. Don't you know fire bending by now?" Aang's expression fell to one of sadness.

"He was frozen in an iceberg," Zuko said, "He couldn't learn anything in an iceberg." Inuka rolled her eyes.

"Fine, whatever." She said, she grumbled as she started to walk past Zuko. There was mostly silence between the three of them as they continued to walk.

"So, why did the priestess choose you to guide us?" Aang asked, trying to make some conversation.

"Probably because she just wanted to give me something to do." Inuka said, she scowled, "Everyone thinks I'm a nuisance, so she probably just doesn't want me to cause trouble."

"Why do people think that?" Aang asked.

Inuka didn't answer and continued onwards.

* * *

They climbed up over a particularly steep part of the hill, and Inuka began to speak again.

"In our tribe, the priestess is the most valuable female," She began randomly, "Because Shinjuns have special connections to nature because of their animalistic qualities. The priestess's position is passed on to their grandchild, skipping one generation every time. And it's very important that the priestess is able to fire bend so they can have a better understanding of the masters and their great abilities." She paused, scowling at the ground, "I'm the first generation in over one thousand years that cannot fire bend." She looked back at Zuko and Aang, "That's why everyone sees me as a nuisance. I can't fire bend, and I can't take the proper lessons in order to become a priestess."

Zuko looked at her in pity, "That doesn't seem very fair." He said.

"That's how our people are." Inuka said as she began to trudge onwards, "In our world, fire bending is everything."

"But just because you can't fire bend doesn't mean that you don't still have potential." Zuko said. Inuka shrugged.

"It's just how we are. We can't change our ways." She said. She continued upwards, "I know I have potential. It's just going to take a lot for everyone to see it, especially Ham-Gao…" She muttered the last part to herself. "I can take on anything that's thrown at me. That's why I agreed to guide you to the masters' cave."

"You were against being our guide every step of the way." Zuko said dryly.

"I'm trying to make myself feel better, hush!" Inuka said quickly to him.

"Look," Zuko began, "Just because you can't fire bend doesn't mean you don't have the same strength, or wisdom, or whatever it is that you need to be a priestess." Inuka looked back at him in surprise as he spoke, "From what I've learned, all you really need to do something is the proper drive. If you have the right goal set in your mind, you can succeed and do whatever you have to. The ability to fire bend doesn't mean that you're useless. It just means that your mind will be more focused on the philosophy and the meaning behind that position, instead of just focusing your energy on your ability to bend." Inuka paused, standing in front of Zuko with wide, shining eyes. Her expression dropped, and she gave him a gratified smile.

"Thank you." She said quietly.

They quickly noticed that it was only the two of them. They looked behind to see Aang was very far behind them.

"Hurry up." Zuko called to him.

"I can't." Aang said as he climbed up a rock, being careful to make sure his flame was safe, "If I walk too fast, my flame will go out."

"Your flame will go out because it's too small." Inuka called to him, "You're too timid. Give it a little more power."

"But what if I can't control it?" Aang asked worriedly.

"You can do it." Zuko said, "I know you can. You're a talented kid." Aang smiled at his words and he pushed himself up a little more, giving his flame a little more power so it would grow a little larger and last a little longer.

* * *

They reached the top of the mountain as the sun began to go down and when they walked to the caves, they saw that the other Sun Warriors, along with the chief and priestess had already arrived ahead of them. Inuka stood with them as they were approached by the chief, priestess, and two other Sun Warriors.

"Facing the judgment of the fire bending masters will be especially dangerous for you." The chief said, he looked to Zuko, "Your ancestors are directly responsible for the dragon's disappearance. The masters might not be so happy to see you."

"I know _I_ wouldn't be." Ham-Gao said with a grin.

"But once they find out I'm the avatar-" Aang began, only to be cut off by the priestess.

"Have you forgotten that you vanished?" She asked, "Your disappearance allowed the Fire Nation to wreak havoc on the world. The decline of the dragons is your burden, too." She looked to Inuka, "You have fulfilled your purpose, Inuka. Join the others." She nodded.

"Yes, Grandmother." She said.

"Maybe your _only_ purpose." Ham-Gao said quietly as she walked by. She glared at him and raised her foot back to kick him, "Ow!" The chief and priestess looked the other way.

The two leaders reached forward and took a small piece of the flames that both had brought, the chief taking a piece of Aang's and the priestess taking a piece of Zuko's. They passed them along to Ham-Gao and the other Sun Warrior, who passed it on to others so they could make rings of fire, others sitting on their knees in front of drums as the priestess and chief moved towards the stairs that connected a bridge to the cave of the two masters.

"We could turn back now." Aang whispered to Zuko, "We've already learned more about fire than we hoped." He held up the little flame with a smile.

"No. We're seeing this through to the end." Zuko said determinedly. "We're gonna meet these masters and find out what's so great about them." Aang didn't look very happy at the prospect.

"What if they judge us, and attack us?" Aang asked worriedly.

"Well, we're the Fire Prince and the avatar." Zuko said, he reached back and pulled out the hilt of his dao blades, "I think we can take these guys in a fight, whoever they are." Aang looked reluctant, but nodded in agreement. They looked back to see that all the Sun Warriors who were standing now held a ring of fire, and the chief and priestess stood at the bottom of the stairs, holding their respective staffs. Zuko turned to them, shouting, "Bring 'em out!"

The chief and priestess raised their staffs and shouted together, "Chanters!"

The drums began to beat loudly, and a chant in that same ancient language began to fill the air as Zuko and Aang went forward. The chief and priestess moved aside so that they could go up the large amount of stairs. They did so, the chants continuing until they reached the top. They both looked at the two caves, wondering what they needed to do.

A familiar voice boomed up to them from below, "Those who wish to meet the masters Ran and Sha will now present their fire!" Inuka shouted up at them from below.

The two of them shared a glance before they turned around, and presented their fires to each cave mouth.

"Sound the call!" The chief ordered, and one of the Sun Warriors blew into a huge horn, and it carried throughout the mountains and well across them. There was a loud rumbling in response from one of the caves, and Aang jumped. He turned around to Zuko.

"What's happening?" He asked fearfully. He looked over Zuko's shoulder to see what was happening, but saw nothing. Zuko glanced back at him as if to ask, 'What are you doing? Get back to your position!' Aang turned back to the cave he had been facing, and gasped when he realized that, in his hastiness to see what was happening, he had dropped his position and the piece of the Eternal Flame he had been holding had gone out! He turned and said in a harsh whisper, "Zuko! My fire went out!"

"What do you want me to do?" Zuko whispered in return, keeping his position.

"Give me some of yours!" Aang said, trying to reach for Zuko's fire. Zuko pushed him back.

"No, just make your own!" Zuko said.

"I can't!" Aang whispered, he tried to reach for the fire again, but Zuko kept him back with his arm.

"Get some from one of those warriors. Hurry!" Zuko said, nodding down to the Sun Warriors who held the rings of fire. Aang didn't listen and kept reaching for Zuko's. Angrily, he snapped, "Stop cheating off me!"

"Quit being stingy!" Aang shot back. Neither of them noticed the odd stares the Sun Warriors below gave them. Inuka groaned quietly and smacked her forehead.

"Outsiders…" She muttered.

Aang kept trying to reach for Zuko's fire while he kept it away from him. Aang kept trying and trying, and without meaning to, he made Zuko lose his position, making his fire go out. Zuko looked back at Aang, both glaring and giving him wide eyes. They looked back at the caves, a much louder rumbling coming from them, and the two of them went stiff.

"Uh-oh." Aang said, seeing two yellow glaring eyes from the cave. Out of the cave came two dragons, one red and one blue, and they both began to circle around Zuko and Aang, causing large and powerful winds.

"These are the masters…" Zuko realized quietly.

"Still think we can take 'em?" Aang asked him.

Zuko quickly shushed him, "I never said that!"

Down below, the Sun Warriors bowed to the two dragons, prostrating themselves on their knees to show their great respect for the masters.

"Oh, here it comes!" Ham-Gao said with a grin, "Any moment now…! Dinner for the masters."

"Silence, Ham-Gao." The priestess whispered to him.

"What? Everyone's thinking it." Ham-Gao muttered, but he remained quiet as the priestess wanted.

The dragons continued to circle around Aang and Zuko, their snake-like bodies moving in different patterns, completely in-sync to each other as they flew. Aang watched them carefully, noticing the similarities, and he thought of something.

"Zuko," He whispered, "I think we're supposed to do the Dragon Dance with them."

"What?" Zuko whispered back, "What about this situation made you think they'd want us to dance?"

"Well, I think they want us to do _something_." Aang said, "Let's just try it."

Zuko let out an annoyed groan, but he had to agree, it was better than doing nothing, "Fine." He and Aang began to perform the steps they had done earlier that day, performing the moves in perfect harmony, as well as moving with the dragons. They didn't realize it as they were dancing, but the dragons' flight patterns moved with their dancing as well, their long bodies following the arms of Aang and Zuko as they danced.

Finally, the dance came to an end, and the two noticed the dragons had stopped flying in circles, but were just hovering on either side of the podium where they stood, their sharp eyes frightening them with their intense stares.

"Judgment time." The priestess said, looking up when she saw the dragons had stopped. Aang and Zuko stood back to back, looking at the growling dragons in fear. Aang was terrified, shaking on the spot, fearing the dragon's judgment. Zuko was afraid as well, but he wasn't shaking as much as Aang was. He was terrified of what the dragons might do, but he was also in awe to be standing before one at the moment, even if it was practically threatening to eat him with its deep growl.

The dragons latched their claws onto the stairs that Zuko and Aang had come up and opened their mouths, huge waves of fire pouring out. They screamed in fear and held up their arms to protect themselves, but the fire didn't hit them. The two fiery breaths collided with each other and formed a whirlwind of fire around them. They watched in awe as it swirled over their heads, the fires changing colors before them, some blue, some red, even some green and purple. Colors of fire they had never seen before. It amazed them and they couldn't tear their eyes away from the amazing display, not that they wanted to.

"Whoa…" Aang breathed in awe.

"I understand…" Zuko murmured quietly, getting the message of what the two dragons were trying to tell him with this beautiful show of fire.

It only lasted a few moments, but a few moments was all that they needed. The dragons soon stopped and they pulled away, flying back up and into their caves, only to be disturbed when the Sun Warriors call on them again. Zuko and Aang were still, their minds still processing what they had just seen, and they tried to remember it, but found it difficult to do so. The display had been amazing and mind-blowing, but the details seemed to fail them as they tried to remember it.

Soon, the Sun Warriors all got up, Ham-Gao scowling when he saw the two of them hadn't been destroyed, but didn't complain. The rings of fire were put out, and everyone stood up to greet Aang and Zuko as they came down the large amount of stairs.

"Their fire was beautiful." Zuko said to Aang as they walked downwards. "I saw so many colors- colors I've never imagined!" He came down before the chief, priestess, Inuka, and Ham-Gao.

"Like fire bending harmony." Aang said in agreement.

"Yes, they judged you," The priestess said, "And they gave you visions of the meaning of fire bending."

"I can't believe there are still living dragons!" Zuko said to them, "My uncle Iroh said he faced the last dragon and killed it."

"So your uncle lied." Aang said.

"Actually, it wasn't a _total_ lie." The chief said with a smile, "Iroh was the last outsider to face the masters. They deemed him worthy, and passed the secret onto him as well." Zuko's eyes widened.

"He must have lied to protect them." Zuko realized, "So no one else would hunt them."

"All this time," Aang began, "I thought fire bending was destruction. Since I hurt Katara, I've been too afraid and hesitant. But now I know what it really is. It's energy… and life."

"Yeah…" Zuko murmured in agreement, "It's like the sun, but _inside_ of you. Do you guys realize this?" He turned to the chief and priestess.

"Well, our civilization is called the '_Sun_' Warriors," The priestess said with a humorous grin, "So yes."

"That's why my fire bending was so weak before." Zuko began, "Because for so many years," He turned to Aang, "Hunting you was my drive. It was my _purpose_. So when I joined you, I lost sight of my inner fire. But now, I have a _new_ drive. I have to help you defeat my father, and restore balance to the world." He turned and performed a couple of fire bending moves, a satisfied smile coming onto his face when he saw two huge waves of fire coming out, instead of the little candle flames like before. Aang performed a similar move, and a happy grin broke out on his face when he saw how powerful the fire was, instead of a little puff of smoke. He was no longer hesitant and timid. He was ready.

He and Zuko shared a happy glance, glad that they were able to understand the true meaning of fire bending.

"Now that you have learned the secrets," The chief said, coming up to them, "And you know about our tribe's existence, we have no choice but to imprison you here _forever_!"

Zuko and Aang flinched in fear.

The shocked silence of the two was broken when the priestess reached over with her staff and wacked the chief on the back of the head.

"Really now, is it so fair to tease them like that?" She scolded, although her smile showed that she was amused by his humor. She turned to Aang and Zuko, "He was just kidding." They both breathed a sigh of relief, "But remember!" They both flinched back when the priestess came closer to them, a sharp glare in her eyes, "You cannot tell a soul of what you have seen of our society. We have been 'dead' for over a thousand years, and we'd _like_ to keep it that way. If we are found out, I will know it was you, and you will face punishment. Understand?" They both nodded silently and the glare disappeared as the priestess righted herself, "Now. The time has come when you both must leave. Inuka will guide you to the edge of our civilization and you may leave from there."

"Yes grandmother." Inuka said, she smiled at the two and began to lead the way down the mountain, taking a separate path than the one they had come up, which seemed much shorter than the other, but neither of them were complaining as Inuka walked them back.

* * *

The three of them moved through the ruins, heading all the way down to the courtyard, where Inuka stopped.

"This is where I leave you." She said to them, "I wish you both the best of luck in your quest."

Zuko nodded, and Aang said, "Thank you."

"I also need to thank you." Inuka said to Zuko, "The words you told me have given me great confidence, and when I am announced as priestess to the Sun Warrior people, your words will remain in my heart as I do my best to lead them and to follow our ancient philosophy."

"I'm glad." Zuko said, he held out his hand to her, and she looked at it oddly, "You're supposed to shake it."

"Oh." Inuka wrinkled her nose, "Why?"

"It's how us outsiders say goodbye to friends we'll probably never see again." Zuko explained. Inuka smiled and reached out, taking his hand with the wrong one and shaking it up and down with a smile.

"Well, then, goodbye fire prince Zuko." She went over to Aang and shook his hand the same way, shaking his right hand with her left, "And goodbye to you, avatar." Aang smiled nervously, feeling a little awkward about the strange handshake. She stepped back and made a traditional Fire Nation bow, "This is how Sun Warriors say goodbye to old friends." Zuko and Aang mimicked it perfectly and they both turned and walked on, Inuka waving goodbye to them as they went away before she began the trek back to her people.

* * *

Aang and Zuko were greeted with warm hugs and 'hello's when they returned to the Western Air Temple. Katara hugged Aang as soon as she saw him, telling him about how worried she was when he didn't return after nightfall on the day that they had left.

"So…" Hoshiko began as she walked up to them, Kotaro beside her, "Success?"

"Yes!" Aang exclaimed happily, jumping in the air and hovering for a minute with his air bending.

"Well, I should hope so." Kotaro said, "All that time spent for nothing would be… well, wasted effort."

"So, what happened?" Toph asked.

"Well, technically, we're not allowed to tell anyone about it," Zuko began, "But the gist of it is: we found the last two dragons in existence, and they helped us understand the real meaning behind fire bending."

"Did you learn any new moves?" Xana asked, excited by their short little secretive story.

"We did, actually!" Aang said happily, he looked to Zuko, "Let's show them." Everyone seated themselves as they watched Aang and Zuko perform the 'new move' they had learned from their trip. Which was improved with bits of fire shooting out instead of no fire at all, as it had been when they performed it before.

"With this new technique the dragons showed us," Aang said as their moves came to an end, "Zuko and I will be unstoppable!" Their fists met, signaling the end of it, and everyone applauded it appreciatively.

"Yeah, that's a great dance you two learned there." Sokka said.

"It's not a dance." Zuko said firmly, standing up straight, "It's a fire bending form!"

"We'll just _tap dance_ our way to victory over the Fire Lord." Sokka continued, getting a few giggles from those around him.

"It's a sacred form that happens to be _thousands_ of years old!" Zuko snapped, marching over to him.

"Oh yeah?" Katara asked, "What's your little form called?"

Zuko grimaced as he muttered out, "…The Dancing Dragon."

Everyone shared a few laughs at his expense when they saw his face.

"Well, in any case, we're just glad you two are back." Hoshiko said, "We were getting a little worried about you two."

"Are you sure you can't tell us what happened?" Xana asked, narrowing her eyes at them suspiciously, hoping it would get them to talk.

"Sworn to secrecy. Sorry." Aang said with a grin. Xana's face turned into a pouty one.

"Phooey!" She crossed her arms over her chest like an angry child.

* * *

**Tada!**

**Inuka is an OC made by my friend, hope you liked her!**


	37. The Boiling Rock

37

Hoshiko stood in a fighting stance, a few feet away from where Xana was standing in her own stance.

"Ready?" Hoshiko asked, Xana smirked and nodded.

"Bring it on." She said, pulling her fists up and causing two pots filled with sand to empty out as she pulled them out, showing how ready she was. Hoshiko took a deep breath in and out, preparing herself.

Off to the side sat Kotaro, Haru, and Sokka, who had just arrived.

"What's going on?" Sokka asked.

"Hoshiko's training." Kotaro said, "Since the invasion, something's happened. I'm not sure what, but something happened, and now she needs to go through basic shadow bending training all over again."

"Why?" Sokka asked, Kotaro pointed to where Hoshiko was bringing up the shadows around her. He watched as she brought them up, creating something like a huge blackness around her feet, and she had it turn into an octopus-like form. She had some of the tentacles shoot out to Xana, who blocked their oncoming with the sand, bringing it up to protect herself. Sokka watched with wide eyes as the shadows suddenly began to quiver and shake, and grew twice their size. Suddenly, the attacks became much fiercer, and one of the tentacles snuck around behind Xana and struck her before grabbing and lifting her up. Xana yelped as she was lifted up in the air and the shadows began to surround her.

"Hoshi!" She shrieked.

"I got it! Hang on!" Hoshiko said, she held up her hand, closing her eyes as she tried to concentrate, suddenly she closed her fist, only for the shadows to move even more and begin to swallow Xana.

"HOSHI!" She screamed.

"Hang on!" Hoshiko hollered back, sweat began dripping down her forehead as she tried to regain control of the shadows as they slowly began to swallow Xana in their darkness. Just before the darkness reached her waist, Kotaro shot out a bolt of lightning. The shadows suddenly writhed, as if it were a living creature in pain, and they disappeared. Xana fell onto the floor of the platform, and Hoshiko gripped at the roots of her hair, groaning in frustration.

"That's why." Kotaro said to Sokka, before getting up and going over to where Hoshiko was. He put his hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him, her blue eyes glimmering in disappointment and sadness. Xana grunted as she pushed herself back up.

"Hoshiko, that's the fifth time you've almost killed me!" Xana growled, "I don't know how much more of this I can do!"

"I'm sorry…" Hoshiko muttered quietly, depressed by what had just happened. Kotaro looked over at Xana, still staying close to Hoshiko.

"Why don't you go and take a break, Xana?" He said, "I think Hoshiko needs it, too."

"Fine by me!" Xana said, dusting off her clothes as she stood up, "I'm gonna have nightmares tonight for sure…" She went over to Haru, who stood up at her arrival and they both walked off together. Hoshiko let out a small whimper in sadness and leaned against Kotaro. Sokka walked over to them.

"What the heck was _that_ about?" He asked, "I thought you had mastered this shadow bending stuff!"

"Like I said before," Kotaro said pointedly, "Things changed after the invasion. Her power's increased to twice of what it was before. She needs to learn to get it under control. When she does, she could really be a great help when we take down the Fire Lord. It'll take some time, but she'll get it." He gently pushed her off his shoulder and looked down at her, "Why don't you go and find somewhere quiet? Try and relax some, okay?"

"Yeah…" Hoshiko said, Kotaro smiled and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips before she left. Kotaro looked back at Sokka, and he looked back at him.

"So… any idea how it happened?" He asked the Shinjun, who shook his head.

"I don't have a clue." He said, "Hoshiko won't tell me. Whatever it is, it's really troubling her. I think it might have something to do with Kagemi."

"Do you think she'll come back?" Sokka asked, suddenly steeling himself. He had no interest to meet the evil little dark side of Hoshiko again.

Kotaro shook his head, "Not unless she takes Hoshiko's body by force, which I don't think she's strong enough to do right now. But she might have gotten stronger. I can't really be sure. But if I had to guess, I'd say Hoshiko's sudden increase in power would be a sign of Kagemi getting _weaker_, and the power she had is transferring over to Hoshiko. Kagemi's always been something of a filter for her abilities, and she's always had a good grasp on how much strength she has, but this changes everything."

"Well, a stronger Hoshiko is a good ally." Sokka said with a small grin, "Does she need any help? Maybe I could…" He trailed off when Kotaro shook his head.

"I don't think that's a good idea." He said, "No offense Sokka, but I think only a bender would be able to take on Hoshiko in her current state."

"Oh." Sokka's shoulders slumped a little at the mention of his ability to not-bend, "Well, if there's anything I can do…"

"She'll let you know." Kotaro said with a nod.

* * *

Later on, Hoshiko tried again, only for it to end up in the same results as before, and Kotaro stopped her every time the shadows began to take in too much of Xana. So, instead, she just opted for some small, first-level exercises to try and calm herself down and work on her concentration, but even those were starting to get a little difficult. Kotaro made sure she was given the space she needed when she was doing this or meditating.

That night, Kotaro took her out of her self-training sessions to join everyone for dinner. Katara had made them all some rice and curry, and everyone was pretty comfortable. When Hoshiko looked around, she noticed someone wasn't among them, and turned to see Zuko was over somewhere, heating a small teapot in his hands with his fire bending.

"Zuko, what are you doing?" She asked him, her voice getting everyone's attention as they looked over at the Fire Nation prince.

"I'm making tea." Zuko called back, he smiled when he heard the teapot beginning to whistle through to the small hole. He grabbed a tray and some teacups and went over to where everyone was sitting around a small fire. He began pouring the liquid into some of the cups. "No one can make tea like Uncle, but hopefully, I learned a thing or two."

"Thanks, Zuko." Xana said, happy about the prospect of having some tea to relax with. Zuko smiled in return.

"Would you like to hear Uncle's favorite tea joke?" He asked them.

"Sure!" Xana said happily.

"I like jokes." Aang said.

"Bring it." Toph encouraged. Zuko got up, having finished pouring all the tea. He carried the tray over to Haru and Xana to give them a cup first.

"Okay, well, I can't remember how it starts, but the punch line is 'Leaf me alone, I'm bushed!'" Zuko's attempt at a joke was met with silence, "…Well, it's funnier when Uncle tells it." He got up and went over to where The Duke and Katara were.

"Right, maybe that's because he remembers the whole thing." Katara said as she took her teacup from him. Everyone laughed a little at her words, and Zuko smiled to himself as he got up to serve tea to Toph and Aang.

"It's nice to get a chance to relax a little." Toph said, "It hardly ever happens."

"Well, when you're travelling with the avatar," Kotaro began with a grin, "It's kind of expected that it'll be fight after fight, what with the war and all."

"I guess so." Toph said with a shrug before taking a sip of her tea. She let out a hum of approval, "You know, this isn't half bad, Princey Pants."

Zuko paused, "_Princey Pants_?"

"Looks like another nickname to add to Toph's arsenal." Hoshiko said with a grin, "I'm surprised you haven't thought of one for me yet."

"Oh, haven't I? _Kitty Cat_?" Toph said with a grin. Hoshiko giggled.

"She does this to everyone?" Zuko asked as he gave some tea to Teo.

"Pretty much, she has a nickname for everyone she knows well." Hoshiko said.

"Yeah, they're pretty funny." Aang said, "She calls me 'Twinkle Toes'."

"She's called me 'Sugar Queen' a bunch of times." Katara said, wrinkling up her nose a little.

"Sokka's 'Boomerang Boy'." Kotaro said as Zuko came over to where he and Hoshiko were sitting, "I'm 'Wolfy'." Zuko handed Kotaro a cup, but Hoshiko stopped him from handing him hers.

"I wanna try something." She said, her brow furrowed in concentration as shadowy tendrils extended from her fingers and wrapped around one of the tea cups. She bit her lip as she picked it up and tried to bring it back to herself. The cup began to shake after a moment, and she tried to keep her bending under control, but she failed, and let out a pain-filled yelp when the tea spilled over her clothes, the hot water burning her skin a little bit. "Damn!"

"Do you need-" Hoshiko got up before Kotaro could finish.

"I got it, don't worry." Hoshiko said, grumbling as she went to go and change her clothes. Kotaro sighed and drank some of his tea as Zuko went over to where Sokka was.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Sokka asked him. Zuko nodded and put the tray down, following Sokka over to where Appa was resting so they could speak privately. What they didn't know was that Kotaro could hear every word they said to each other. He kept calm and acted casually as his hearing picked up their conversation.

"So, what's up?" Zuko asked.

"If…someone was captured by the Fire Nation," Sokka began, "Where would they be taken?"

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked, "Who was captured?"

"When the invasion plan failed, some of our troops got taken." Sokka said, "I just… wanna know where they might be."

"…I can't tell you." Zuko said.

"What?" Sokka asked, "Why not?"

"Trust me, knowing would just make you feel worse." Zuko said, he moved to go back to the others, but Sokka stopped him by putting his hand on his shoulder.

"It's my dad." Sokka said, "He was captured, too. I need to know what I put him through."

Zuko looked back at him, "It's not good, Sokka."

"Please." Sokka said gently. Zuko sighed and he turned around to face him.

"My guess is…" Zuko hesitated for a moment, "They were taken to the Boiling Rock." Kotaro's eyes widened a little bit, his ears twitching. He had heard of the Boiling Rock or rather, stories about it. It wasn't pretty.

"What's that?" Sokka asked.

"The highest security prison in the Fire Nation." Zuko said, "It's on an island in the middle of a boiling lake. It's inescapable."

"So where is this place?" Sokka asked.

"Why do you need to know? Zuko shot at him, "What are you planning?"

"Nothing." Sokka said, "Boy, you're so paranoid."

Zuko didn't believe him, but told him anyway, "It's in the middle of a volcano between here and the Fire Nation. You guys actually flew right past it on your way here."

"Thanks Zuko." Sokka said, he yawned and stretched his arms above his head, "Just knowing makes me feel better." He walked back to the others, and Zuko looked after him with narrowed eyes, knowing he was up to something.

"Yeah, I'm sure it does." He muttered to himself. He went back to the others just as Hoshiko came back in a new shirt and pants. Kotaro offered her his cup of tea, and she took a sip from it. She smiled and licked her lips.

"This is good tea, Zuko." She said, making herself comfortable at Kotaro's side.

"Thanks." He said, seating himself beside Toph, drinking some of his own tea. Hoshiko looked up at Kotaro, and frowned when she saw the serious expression on his face.

"Something wrong?" She asked quietly. Kotaro looked at her and smiled.

"Now that you're here, nope." He said, pressing a small kiss to her temple. Hoshiko smiled and chuckled.

"Everyone's right, we _are_ really cheesy." She said, nudging him playfully. Everyone laughed a little at her words.

"I expect you to tell me what's wrong later." Hoshiko whispered, just loud enough for him to hear, and no one else. Kotaro didn't reply as he took his tea back from her and took a sip.

* * *

Hoshiko walked into the room she and Kotaro shared, brushing her black locks to get it free of any tangles. It was warm that night, so she was only wearing the top half of her normal clothes, which was enough to cover her, but just barely. If she were to bend over, you would get a very good look at her rear end. She smiled when she felt Kotaro come up behind her, pressing kisses to her shoulder. His arms slowly wrapped around her waist.

"Ready for bed yet?" He asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"In a minute." Hoshiko said, shrugging his head off of her body. He still kept his arms on her as she brushed out the rest of her hair, "So, you want to tell me what's wrong?"

"Hmm?"

"At dinner tonight. You said you'd tell me later."

"Oh, yeah, that." Kotaro said, he moved his arms away from Hoshiko, and she turned around to face him as she kept brushing her hair, "I overheard something Sokka and Zuko were talking about."

"What was it?" Hoshiko asked.

"Sokka wanted to know where his dad had been taken." Kotaro said, "And Zuko told him about the Boiling Rock." Hoshiko let out a low hiss.

"That's not good." She said, "And knowing Sokka, he's probably going to try and get there." Hoshiko put up the brush and the couple began to move towards the bed, "He didn't tell him where it was, right?"

"Not the exact location, but Sokka knows that if he goes on the flight path we took over here, he'll find it." Kotaro said, getting into the bed when she did.

"Great…" Hoshiko let out a huff of air. She looked over at Kotaro, "What do you want to do about it?"

"I don't know." Kotaro said, "I want to stop him, or at the very least, go with him and help him out."

"No." Hoshiko said instantly, and Kotaro looked over at her in surprise, "You are absolutely not going."

"Why not?" Kotaro asked, "He's going to need help."

"I can't let you go." Hoshiko said, she moved closer to him, "I can't stand the thought of you going, and me just staying here and doing nothing. If you go, I'll come with you."

"It's too dangerous." Kotaro said.

"That's exactly why you shouldn't go!" Hoshiko said, she sighed and rested her head against him, "I don't want to fight about this. I'm tired. You're tired. Can we just think about this in the morning?"

"Okay." Kotaro consented, he kissed her forehead and lay down on the bed, drifting off to sleep with Hoshiko in his arms.

* * *

Early the next morning, Kotaro got up, being careful not to wake up Hoshiko, and snuck out of the room. He headed to the place where Appa was being kept, and inwardly cursed when he saw Sokka sneaking around the sleeping forms of his sister and friends. He started to climb up Appa, who was too tired to make any noise about him being there, and headed up to the saddle. Kotaro was about to run over and stop him, but someone beat him to it.

"Not up to anything, huh?" A voice asked from the saddle. Sokka let out a surprised yelp and fell back onto the ground. Kotaro watched as Zuko leaned over from where he was sitting in the saddle. Sokka glared up at him, and Kotaro hid behind a pillar, not wanting to be caught by either of them.

"Fine, you caught me." Sokka said as he gathered up the things he was bringing with him, "I'm gonna rescue my dad. You happy now?"

"I'm never happy." Zuko muttered.

"Look, I have to do this." Sokka said as he continued to pack up, "The invasion plan was _my_ idea, it was _my_ decision to stay when things were going wrong." He closed up his bag and stood up to face Zuko, who jumped down from Appa's saddle, "It's _my_ mistake, and it's my job to fix it. I have to regain my honor. You can't stop me, Zuko." He pushed past him to start climbing up Appa again.

"You need to regain your honor," Zuko began, "Believe me, I get it. I'm going with you."

"No." Sokka said, "I have to do this alone."

"How are you going to get there? On Appa?" Zuko asked, "Last time I checked, prisons don't have bison day-cares." Sokka stopped and sighed, realizing that Zuko was right. He looked back down at the fire bender, knowing he would have some kind of solution for this, "We'll take my war balloon." Sokka jumped down from the bison and followed the prince. Kotaro did nothing as he watched them leave. He felt a little relieved that Sokka wouldn't be going alone.

"Oh, hang on." Sokka said, he turned around, grabbing a piece of paper and quickly scribbling out a message.

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked.

"Leaving a note so no one will wonder why we're gone." Sokka said. Zuko came over and looked over the note.

"Here, give me that." Zuko said, taking the piece of paper from him and writing out another message on it.

"What's that for?" Sokka asked, looking at it curiously.

"Just because I'm gone doesn't mean Aang's getting a break." Zuko said, "He still has a lot of fire bending training to catch up on." Sokka shrugged.

"Well, you _are_ his teacher." Sokka said. Zuko finished the note and put it over by Momo, who was sleeping soundly. They both turned and left, heading to where Zuko's war balloon was.

Kotaro watched them leave, and turned around, heading back to his room. Sokka might have some trouble on his own, but he trusted Zuko to get his non-bending friend to come back to them before too long.

* * *

Later on that morning, Hoshiko and Kotaro got up and headed to where the others were to get some breakfast. The Duke carried a big pile of hay (Well, big for a child of his size) over to Appa, who happily ate it. Momo was still sleeping on the ground, the note Sokka and Zuko had left on his stomach, as if it were a blanket. Katara went over and picked it up, Toph and a very sleepy Aang coming up beside her.

"What does it say?" Toph asked as Hoshiko and Kotaro came over to her.

"It says _'Need meat. Gone fishing. Back in a few days. –Sokka and Zuko'_." Katara read out. Aang yawned and headed back to his sleeping roll, collapsing on it with a small smile, "One more thing. _'Aang, practice your fire bending while I'm gone. Do twenty sets of fire fists and ten hot squats every time you hear a badger frog croak. –Zuko'_."

In the distance, a badger frog was heard. Aang's eyes opened and he groaned as he got up.

"Nobody else has homework." He grumbled as he began working on his hot squats, counting them off aloud as he worked, "One hot squat, two hot squats, three hot squats…"

Hoshiko looked at Kotaro, "Guess they left without you." She said quietly.

"Guess so." Kotaro said, "I'm just glad he didn't go alone. It can be dangerous."

Hoshiko nodded, "I wonder how long it'll take for them to get back. The Boiling Rock is inescapable."

"Hopefully, not too long." Kotaro said, "We don't want Sozin's Comet to have come and gone while they're trying to break out." Hoshiko nodded her head in agreement.

"In the meantime, I need to practice." She went over, grabbed a quick bite of breakfast and headed off somewhere else.

"Where are you going?" Katara asked as she walked off.

"I won't go too far." Hoshiko said as she continued on to another part of the temple. Aang looked after her curiously as he kept squatting.

"Do you think she's okay?" He asked.

"Hoshiko's just dealing with a few things right now." Kotaro said, "I just hope she can handle it." He took a bite out of his breakfast.

* * *

Hoshiko held up her hand, focusing on the small wooden dummy before her. She took in a deep breath and got into her fighting stance. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the shadows as they came towards her, lifting up and materializing in front of her. She looked at the dummy, and watching in her mind's eye how it was going to hit it. Just a simple move, hitting the center of the target, then pulling away. She blew out her deep breath and made her move. The shadow moved forward as she wanted to, and it hit the center of the target, but that hit soon got bigger and covered the entire target, the shadows wrapping around it and tried to crush it. Hoshiko cursed and released her stance, letting the shadows fall back to where they had been originally.

She looked at the wooden dummy, seeing where the marks had been made. It looked as if a huge claw had grabbed the wood and had grabbed it as tightly as it could. She sighed and tried again, only to end up with the same result, the marks even deeper than before.

"Damn it!" She cursed again.

"Having trouble?" She looked back to see Kotaro.

"Hey." She greeted him.

He came up to her, "How've you been doing?"

"No better than before." Hoshiko said, looking back at the dummy, "I just can't seem to get the flow right. If a do a little bit, it's not enough, if a do a bit more, it's too much and it almost destroys what I'm trying to work on." Her ears drooped sadly, "I'm not sure I can get my control back."

"Yes, you can." Kotaro said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders from behind. She leaned into his touch. He kissed the side of her jaw softly, "I know you can, Hoshiko. You beat Kagemi, didn't you?"

"Only because I had your help." Hoshiko mumbled. Kotaro grinned.

"Mostly you, though." He said, he moved away from her, "Now, why don't you try again?"

"But every time I try, something goes wrong." Hoshiko said, turning around to face him, "I'm starting to think this wasn't worth Kagemi. I can't control any of it anymore." Kotaro frowned.

"Hey," He reached up and took her chin in his hand, "Don't talk like that. You're Hoshiko of the Siela tribe. You survived a Fire Nation raid, you survived slavery, you survived an invasion! I _know_ you can get your powers back." He gave her a reassuring smile, and she did her best to return it.

"Okay." She turned back to the dummy and lifted up her hands, trying again. She lifted the shadows up and they moved around the dummy again, she hit it once in the center, and she moved her shadows back. She gleefully exclaimed, "I did it!"

"Knew you could." Kotaro said, "Now, try it again, but this time, try and lift the dummy up." Hoshiko nodded, a new confidence instilled in her as she tried it again. She slowly had a shadowy tendril wrap around the bottom of her wooden dummy and lift it up. Her hands shook as she fought to keep control of her shadows, the shadows beginning to quiver and ripple like water. Suddenly, the shadows grew much larger and swallowed up the dummy.

"No!" Hoshiko shouted, she pulled the shadows back, only for her to be too late. The wooden dummy had been crushed to pieces. Hoshiko cursed. "Why does this keep happening? I get the target, but I can't even manage to lift something up anymore? What is the matter with me?"

"Hoshiko, calm down." Kotaro said, he put his hands on her shoulders, "Take a deep breath." Hoshiko did so, "Let it out." She expelled the breath from her body, "Maybe a wooden dummy isn't the best option for you to practice with."

"I know." Hoshiko said, looking at the remains, "I need something stronger. You think I can get Toph to make a stone one for me?"

"How about we try a living dummy?" Kotaro suggested.

"Absolutely not." Hoshiko said, "I could barely control my bending with Xana. How is it going to change with anyone else?"

"Do it with me." Kotaro said, Hoshiko's eyes went wide.

"No, I… I couldn't do that." She said, "Kota, I can't do that! I could kill you!"

"I know." Kotaro said, he gently held onto her shoulders, "I know you could be successful, too."

"Kota…" Hoshiko murmured, her voice laced with worry.

"Just try." Kotaro said. He stepped over to where the dummy had been and held out his arms, "I'm ready whenever you are." Hoshiko nodded nervously, and carefully lifted up her hand, a small shadow wrapping around Kotaro's ankle and pulling to try and lift him up, but it wasn't strong enough. She made it a little stronger, and Kotaro watched as the shadow pulled up just his leg.

"Okay I lifted you up." Hoshiko said, quickly making the shadow return from whence it had come.

"Hoshiko." Kotaro said firmly, "I'm not letting you off that easily. Now really try to do it this time." Hoshiko looked at him in worry, "I'll be fine, I promise."

Hoshiko took a deep breath and brought up more shadows, she had them wrap around Kotaro's shoulders and his torso, beginning to lift him up. He was about three feet in the air when the shadows around him began to shake.

_No, no, no, no, no, no…_ Hoshiko thought, she watched in fear as they began to get a little bigger, beginning to encase Kotaro. _Stop! Don't do that!_ She tried to keep them under control, but they just kept growing, starting to swallow Kotaro into the darkness. The entire time this was happening, Kotaro was silent. He didn't call for help, he didn't even try to wiggle free, although he was getting nervous, he had complete faith in Hoshiko. He wouldn't do anything that could hinder her abilities. Sweat dripped down from Hoshiko's forehead as she tried to keep everything in control. _Don't hurt him! I don't want to hurt him!_ The shadows didn't seem to obey as they kept swallowing Kotaro up. Hoshiko let out a feral growl, _I won't __**let**__ you hurt him! You're under __**my**__ control now! You listen to __**ME**__! If you don't you'll always regret it!_ The shadows paused, as if they had heard her words, and they began to recede back to the original position they were in. Kotaro smiled when he saw that he was no longer in danger, and Hoshiko lowered him back to the ground.

"See? I told you I'd be fine." Kotaro said to her just before she ran over and embraced him tightly.

"Never let me do that ever again." Hoshiko said, before kissing him. Kotaro nodded.

"If that's what you want." He said, he turned her towards the remains of the wooden dummy, "Now, keep practicing." Hoshiko moved so that the shadows would put the pieces back together, which they did perfectly. She kept practicing, doing everything as flawlessly as she had before. She had her control back!

* * *

Aang let out a groan as he heard a badger frog croak, "Not again…" He got up and started doing hot squats again. The others around him laughed a little bit.

"You know, Aang, you can take a break." Xana said to him, "Zuko's not even here."

"I know that," Aang said, "But I want to make sure that I follow all his training, so I can be ready to face the Fire Lord." Xana shrugged.

"Okay, you're the avatar." She said, she turned to where Hoshiko was comfortably sitting beside Kotaro, "So, tell the truth, did you really get your control back?"

"Yes, I did." Hoshiko said, "I promise. I can prove it to you if you want."

"Well… okay," Xana said, "But you better not pull me into the shadows again!"

"Don't have to." Hoshiko said, lifting her hand and moving around her fingers. Xana looked at her confusedly until her dinner bowl was snatched out of her hands by something.

"Hey!" She quickly turned to see who had tried to take her dinner, and was surprised to see a shadowy tendril was the one that had grabbed it. She reached for her dinner, and it moved away. She reached for it again, and again it jumped back. She growled and started grabbing at it, but it kept moving out of the way. Everyone around her laughed at the little scene as she kept trying to get it. Eventually it got to a point where she was jumping on her tiptoes to get her meal. She stopped, too tired to keep going, and she whined, "Ho_shiiiii_…"

"Okay, here." She said, lowering the shadow and letting her take her dinner back. She stuck out her tongue at the shadow before sitting back down, hunching over her meal to keep it from anyone's grabby hands.

Kotaro laughed a little at her behavior, but stopped when he smelled something in the air. He frowned when he recognized it, and he stiffened. Hoshiko noticed his change in behavior.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"I smell burning coal…" Kotaro said with a slight growl. He got up and went over to the balcony, looking out over the night sky to see a small, slowly growing dot in the distance. Hoshiko and Katara got up to see what he was looking at.

"What is it?" Hoshiko asked, seeing the dot that he was looking at.

"I think it might be a war zeppelin." Kotaro said.

Katara stiffened, "Should we attack?"

"No… If they were going to attack us, they would have done it by now, and they wouldn't let themselves be visible." Hoshiko said, "I don't think they're going to do anything."

"Does anyone have a telescope?" Kotaro asked the group. Teo went over to his bag and pulled one out, going over to Kotaro and giving it to him. He looked through it to see who was driving the huge war zeppelin, and saw a familiar face dressed in Fire Nation uniform. "It's Sokka and Zuko! They're back!" He looked back at the zeppelin, "And they changed up their war balloon." Hoshiko took the telescope from him and saw the same thing he did.

"It _is_ them!" She said in surprise, "Where did they get a war balloon that big?"

The balloon flew closer and closer to them, carefully docking itself beside the balcony. Sokka and Zuko soon came out, Sokka dressed in a Fire Nation prison guard uniform, and Zuko dressed in, what looked like, Fire Nation prisoner clothes.

"What are you doing in this thing?" Katara asked them when they came out, "What happened to the war balloon?"

"It kinda got destroyed." Zuko said.

"Sounds like a crazy fishing trip." Aang commented.

"Did you at least get some good meat?" Toph asked with an eager smile.

"I did." Sokka said, "The best meat of all. The meat of friendship, and fatherhood." They looked at him oddly until they saw the small group of people coming out of the zeppelin. The first one Hoshiko recognized was Suki, the Kyoshi warrior and Sokka's girlfriend. The second one was one she didn't recognize, but Kotaro recognized as Hakoda. And finally, the third was a tall, muscled man who greeted them with a friendly smile and wave.

"I'm new." He said, "What's up everybody?"

"Dad…" Katara murmured, her eyes filling with tears of joy.

"Hi Katara." Hakoda greeted her with a soft smile. Hoshiko's eyes widened. She had never met Katara and Sokka's father before. Katara ran up to her father and embraced him tightly.

"How are you here?" She asked, she turned to Sokka, "What is going on? Where did you go?"

"We… kind of went to a Fire Nation prison." Sokka said, Katara reached out and took his hand, pulling him into a group hug with their father, and everyone was quiet, letting them have their moment.

The moment was broken when Toph asked, "Seriously, you guys didn't find _any_ meat?" Everyone chuckled a little. Hoshiko patted the blind girl's shoulder.

"Maybe next time, Toph." She said, she turned to Suki and smiled. She went over to the girl and they shared a short embrace, "It's good to see you again, Suki."

"You too." Suki said. Hoshiko turned and had her face Kotaro, "Suki, this is Kotaro, my _hanbun tamashi_. Kotaro, this is Suki, she's a Kyoshi warrior."

Kotaro shook hands with her, "It's nice to meet you." Hakoda came over to Kotaro and clapped him on the shoulder.

"So _this_ is your girl." He said, nodding to Hoshiko. She turned to him and bowed. "I thought she was dead."

"Well, she kinda was… for a little bit." Kotaro said. Hoshiko stood back up.

"It's nice to meet you." She said, she held out her hand for him to shake, "It's a real honor to meet the man who helped lead the invasion force." Hakoda shrugged.

"Not my best work." He said, he shook her hand, "And it's nice to finally meet you." Hoshiko smiled at him.

The two Shinjuns turned to look at the third member of their party, "So you are…?"

"Chit Sang." He said, holding out his big hand to the two of them, which they shook, "I helped these two guys escape." He nodded over at Sokka and Zuko.

"We couldn't have done it without him." Sokka said, giving a thumbs-up.

"Well, it's nice to meet you." Hoshiko said.

"And since you're all here," Kotaro began, "You might as well get a good meal for tonight."

"And you can tell us all about your 'fishing trip'." Aang said with a grin. Sokka and Zuko returned it, heading over to where the fire had been made to discuss their adventure at the Boiling Rock.

* * *

**It's a little short, but I couldn't really come up with much else for this chapter.**


	38. The Southern Raiders

38

"…And then, Zuko's girlfriend comes in from out of nowhere, and helps us out!" Sokka said, reaching the end of his story, "After that, we stole Azula's zeppelin, and we rode it all the way here. The end."

"Zuko has a girlfriend?" Kotaro asked, looking over at the scarred prince in question.

"It's… Mai, isn't it?" Hoshiko asked, "That's her name, right?"

"You remember that?" Zuko asked.

"Well, it's all still a little bit fuzzy…" Hoshiko mumbled, reaching up and scratching her head, "I don't remember everything, but I remember that Kagemi didn't like her very much. Then again, she didn't like _anyone_ very much."

"She liked Azula," Zuko said, before taking a sip from his drink.

"No, she hated Azula." Hoshiko said, "I think she was actually planning her assassination. Secretly, of course."

"Wouldn't surprise me." Zuko said.

"Who's Kagemi?" Hakoda asked.

"Someone never to be seen again." Hoshiko said, a darkness lying in her undertone, "Don't worry about it, Hakoda." Kotaro covered her hand with hers, giving it a comforting squeeze. Xana pointed at Suki.

"So… you're Sokka's girlfriend, or something," Xana said, she looked at Hakoda, "And you're Sokka and Katara's dad," She turned to Chit Sang, "So… what's your story?"

"I was a prisoner at the Boiling Rock." He said.

"What were you in for?" Xana asked.

"They singled me out as the one who started a riot in the Fire Nation capitol." Chit Sang said.

"That would explain how you knew how to start a prison riot so well." Hakoda said with a small grin. Chit Sang returned it with a grin of his own.

"Why do I not know about his girlfriend?" Kotaro asked, going off the subject of Chit Sang.

"Because she's really gloomy and depressing," Hoshiko said with a grin, she turned to Zuko, "No offense."

"None taken. She can be like that sometimes." Zuko said with a shrug.

"_Some_times?" Hoshiko repeated.

"Don't push it." Zuko warned, pointing at her. She raised her hands up in surrender, but still bore that grin on her face.

"Anything else I don't know about?" Kotaro asked.

"Nothing of significant importance." Zuko said.

"Whatever." He shrugged.

"Anything interesting happen on the ride back?" Toph asked, wondering if Sokka had anything more to add to his story.

"Other than getting to know each other and catching up, not really." Suki said with a shrug.

"Oh… well that's boring." Xana said with a pout.

"Not all stories can have the epic ending you like, Xana." Hoshiko said to her. Her pout got bigger.

"Couldn't hurt to fake one…" She muttered. Hoshiko only rolled her eyes.

"Anyway," Hoshiko put her now empty bowl down on the ground, "I'm done for tonight. I'm going to bed."

"I'll come with you." Kotaro said, quickly putting his own bowl down, the food only two-thirds gone.

"Why don't you guys sleep out here with us for once?" Katara asked, "It's a beautiful night." The Shinjun couple shared a glance, silently sharing a small conversation before looking back at the water bender.

"Well, we were kind of… hoping to…" Kotaro stopped when he heard Sokka groan.

"We don't need to hear about what you're planning to do in bed!" He whined.

"We're not planning on doing _that_!" Hoshiko exclaimed with a bright blush. "But, um…" She cleared her throat, "I don't think it would hurt to sleep outside tonight." Kotaro pouted a little.

"Are you sure?" He asked her quietly, his voice barely heard by the others, "In our room we have privacy and-"

"You can go without for one night." Hoshiko replied with a joking smile. She headed over to their room to get their sleeping bags.

* * *

Dinner didn't last much longer after that. Soon everyone was outside, sleeping on the platform. Well… almost everyone.

Hoshiko shifted, trying to get comfortable as sleep continued to evade her. She tried to occupy herself by looking around at the other sleeping forms around her. She couldn't help the smile on her face when she saw that Sokka and his father both slept the same way- with their faces stuffed facedown into their pillows. Chit Sang was sprawled out all over his sleeping bag, Xana sleeping in a similar position in her own, Haru lying next to her, with his fingers linked together over his chest. She looked at Kotaro, who slept next to her. His expression was tranquil and soft breathing escaped from his lips as he dreamed away. Hoshiko gently reached up, about to trace the small scar above his eyebrow and below his eye, but stopped and pulled back, not wanting to wake him. She didn't want to trouble him with what was troubling her.

A few nights ago, she had had a dream. It wasn't a nightmare, but it wasn't a happy dream either. She had a sinking feeling that it was a memory of something. Something important, but she just couldn't remember what. What she could remember about the dream was that it took place in the Fire Lord's war room. She was there… possibly. It could have been that she was seeing through Kagemi's eyes. The Fire Lord was there, too; as well as Zuko and Azula and unknown fire bending officials of various importance. What she could remember was that it was a meeting between them and the Fire Lord. She remembered that someone suggested… something. It was something horrible, something that made her stomach turn and her insides burn in fury, but she couldn't remember what.

She shifted again, and accidentally woke up Kotaro who was sleeping beside her.

"Hoshi…?" He murmured quietly, she looked over at him, her face contorting to one of guilt as she watched him rub his eyes, "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She whispered, turning so she could face him, "I just can't sleep."

"What's wrong?" Kotaro asked.

"There's… something on my mind." Hoshiko said, "I can't stop thinking about it."

"Well, think about it with your eyes closed." Kotaro mumbled, reaching over and rubbing her arm, "Go to sleep. It's the middle of the night."

"I'm sorry." Hoshiko said softly, Kotaro shook his head dismissively.

"Don't be sorry." He said, he leaned over and kissed her forehead, "Just get some sleep, we'll talk about whatever's on your mind in the morning, 'kay?" Hoshiko smiled at him, though he couldn't see it through the darkness of the night.

"Okay." She whispered, leaning over to kiss him softly as a way to say goodnight and to say thank you before cuddling up beside him, getting comfortable and closing her eyes, letting sleep take her.

* * *

The next morning, everyone was awoken by the sudden rumbling of an exploded Fire Nation bomb as it hit just outside the Air Temple. Hoshiko sat up to see a small war zeppelin armada was coming up towards them. She quickly stood up, as did everyone else, preparing for battle. Aang ran towards them and, with an impressive flurry of his staff, used his air bending to move some of the more flattened parts of the platform to make a barrier to temporarily protect them from the bombs, however, it didn't stop the bombs from being fired. The result was a caving roof.

Zuko saw that one particular piece was about to fall on top of Katara. "Watch out!" He yelled as he ran forward and dove into her, effectively pushing her out of the way of the debris.

"What are you doing?" Katara demanded angrily, clearly not happy about being touched by the fire bender.

"Keeping rocks from crushing you." Zuko growled.

"Okay, I'm not crushed. You can get off me now!" Katara snapped as she quickly stood back up and ran towards the others.

"I'll take that as a thank you." Zuko muttered to himself as he got up.

Toph and Haru went to the stone wall of the temple and used their earth bending to create a large tunnel that went through to the other side where Zuko had put the war zeppelin from their trip to the Boiling Rock.

"Come on!" Toph signaled the others, "We can get out through here!" Everyone began dashing towards the tunnel, Aang struggling to pull Appa along with them. He looked up in surprise when he saw Zuko was standing at the shelter wall, making no move to follow them.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

"Go ahead! I'll hold them off!" Zuko called over his shoulder. He looked back at the wall with a glare, "I think this is a family visit." He ran at the wall, heading for the small openings that had been made by the bombs.

"Zuko, no!" Aang called to him. Sokka and Katara ran up to the air bender to stop him from going after Zuko.

"Come on! We've gotta get out of here!" Sokka said. Aang didn't look very happy about it, but he continued to pull Appa towards the tunnel as Zuko ran towards the zeppelins. Sokka and Katara helped him to get the bison near the tunnel, and Toph used her earth bending to make a shelter to protect him so he would at least be safe from debris as they escaped, but the bombs and explosions still happened outside, making the huge bison very afraid and anxious. Hoshiko and Kotaro were helping to try and pull him along, but he wouldn't move.

"I can't get him to go in there! Appa _hates_ tunnels!" Aang said as he and the others kept trying to pull the bison inside.

"Well, we can't fly out of here!" Hoshiko said as she struggled to pull the bison forward.

"We'll have to find a way." Aang said, stopping the pull of the reigns, seeing that Appa was being too stubborn to move.

"We need to split up." Sokka said, he went over to where the others were, "Take the tunnel and get to the stolen air ship."

Katara's eyes widened at the mention, "No!" Sokka and Hakoda were surprised by her sudden outburst, "The Fire Nation can't separate our family again!"

"It'll be okay." Hakoda said, putting his hands on his daughter's shoulders, "It's not forever."

Katara wasn't happy about it, but she hugged her father goodbye. Sokka did the same and grabbed Suki's hand, taking her with him as they headed towards Appa. Xana frowned at the thought of leaving her friends again, but she shared a small embrace with both of them before they went to the bison. The two Shinjuns easily climbed up to the saddle as Appa turned around towards the other end of Toph's shelter. Katara pulled Suki and her brother up as Toph put her hand on the wall of her shelter, judging how she should earth bend it. It only took her a moment before she ran for the bison.

"I can clear that away and we can fly out through there!" She said, using earth bending to jump up onto the bison's saddle.

"Um, there's an awful lot of fire in that general direction." Suki said, everyone flinched when the shelter rumbled from another bomb.

"We'll get through." Aang assured her, "Let's go." He whipped Appa's reigns and the bison shot forward, Aang holding some of the shelter rocks together in front of him to provide something of a shield as they flew past one of the zeppelins, which was a good idea because Azula had fired at them, and they were protected. They flew over the air ship, and Hoshiko looked back at the princess, whose eyes widened when she saw the dark haired Shinjun on the bison's saddle. The fur on Hoshiko's tail prickled, her anger towards the princess showing through a fierce glare. She watched as another zeppelin rose up, Zuko standing on the top of it. Azula turned to face her brother, who ran across the zeppelin and jumped over to the one she stood on. Hoshiko would have paid more attention to their battle, if it weren't for the sudden incoming fire that came from the other zeppelins around them. She and Katara stood up, using their bending to fend off the fire from hitting anyone. They flew closer and closer to the zeppelin that carried the soldiers firing at them, all of them standing on an extended plank, they were all kept from falling off the zeppelin by a special harness with a cord that swung rapidly from the high winds. Aang yanked the reigns, making Appa fly straight up into the air and over the zeppelin.

The sound of a loud explosion caught their attention and they looked to see the battle between Zuko and Azula had caused them both to go toppling over the edge of the zeppelin. Aang quickly had Appa turn around and they flew towards the plummeting Zuko. Hoshiko held out her hand for the fire bender, who grabbed it and hung on tightly as they flew away from Azula, whose arms and legs were flailing around as she fell. Zuko looked back and watched her fall.

"She's…not gonna make it." Zuko said bleakly, his face blank.

Hoshiko said nothing as she watched her fall, her eyes not leaving the sight of the princess.

Azula seemed to recover her wits and she reached up, taking out her hairpiece and blasting herself towards the wall of the cliff that the Western Air Temple was built on. She stabbed her hairpiece into the cliff side and skidding to a halt along the wall.

"Of course she did." Zuko muttered.

Hoshiko narrowed her eyes as she looked at the continually shrinking form of the princess as they flew away, well out of range from the fire benders on the zeppelins.

* * *

They flew for a few hours before they found a small island. It was void of any signs of life other than a few animals, so they landed there and made camp. Everyone was given various duties to help out, Zuko and Hoshiko being given fire wood duty. They headed out to find some fire wood while Sokka took Kotaro on hunting duty so they could have something to cook. The area they went to was heavily forested, so it wasn't hard to find random fallen branches and various other sticks, as well as some leaves to help start up the fire.

As they worked, they were both pretty quiet, not that either of them minded. Hoshiko's mind, in the silence, kept going back to her rather fuzzy memory/dream. She looked over at Zuko, who was gathering a couple of sticks in his arms.

"Hey, Zuko?"

"Yeah?" He looked over at her.

"Was there ever a meeting at the Fire Nation palace while I was there?" She asked him, "I mean, not _me_, but… you know."

"…Yeah." Zuko said slowly, "Why do you ask? Do you remember it?"

"Well… I _think_ I do." Hoshiko said, she rubbed her head, "I had a dream about it the other night… I don't remember what it was about, though. I just remember Kagemi got really pissed. Was there any meeting like that?" She noticed how Zuko couldn't meet her eyes all of a sudden.

"Yeah, it was a war meeting. Kagemi wasn't too happy about the plans." Zuko said, he quickly stood up, "I think we have enough fire wood for tonight." He hastily went back to the camp, and Hoshiko gave him an odd look.

"Um… okay." She gathered up the firewood she had and followed him.

* * *

"People!" Sokka's voice came from the wooded area and everyone looked back to see him holding up his prize from hunting, which was a large trout, "Worry no more, for we return… _with dinner_!" Kotaro let out a snort of laughter, carrying a few more fish with him.

"Very dramatic." He praised sarcastically, he went over to the others, "But we got a pretty good haul, nonetheless. And we found a moon peach tree with tons of fruit for you to chow down on, Aang." He tossed a peach to Aang, who eagerly caught it and took a bite.

They prepared the fish, and by the time the sun had gone down, the food was ready to eat. Everyone happily ate their ration of fish/peaches.

Aang smiled and looked around at the circle they had all made around the fire.

"Wow… camping." He said with a grin, "It really seems like old times again, doesn't it?"

A few nodded in agreement.

"If you really want it to feel like old times, I could, uh, chase you around a while and try to capture you." Zuko said with a humorous grin. Everyone got a good laugh out of it, except Katara.

"Ha ha." She muttered darkly, glaring at the ground.

Sokka was particularly amused and held up his cup to propose a toast, "To Zuko. Who knew after all those times he tried to snuff us out, today he'd be our hero?"

"Hear, hear!" Toph, Aang, Hoshiko, Kotaro, and Suki said, holding up their cups. Aang nudged the fire bender playfully, and Toph gave him a friendly punch to the shoulder.

"I'm touched." Zuko said humbly, "I don't deserve this."

"Yeah, no kidding." Katara growled, glaring at the fire prince before standing up and walking away.

"What's with her?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow at his sister's behavior.

"I wish I knew." Zuko said, keeping his eyes on Katara as she walked away from them. He stood up and followed her as they went to a different spot on the island.

"What's with him?" Sokka asked when Zuko left them.

"I bet he's going to talk to her." Kotaro said, "She's pretty… abrasive around him."

"Abrasive?" Sokka asked.

"It means she's mean to him." Hoshiko said, Sokka scowled.

"I know what it means." He said, "I'm not stupid."

"Could have fooled _me~_." Hoshiko sang with a grin, everyone laughed at her joke, the light and airy mood from before restored. Sokka only smiled.

"It's good to have you back, Hoshi." He said, patting her on the back. She smiled at him.

"So, how long are we going to be out here? Or is this going to be our base until Sozin's comet?" Hoshiko asked.

"It's not much of a base," Aang said, looking around their camp, "We'll stay here for a day, maybe two, and then we'll head out to find a better location." Hoshiko nodded.

"I like that." Hoshiko said, before taking a sip of her drink.

* * *

The next morning, Hoshiko was helping Aang to clean Appa's coat a little, getting out some burs and twigs and such that had gotten caught in his coat in their time out. Kotaro was doing his part as well. Sokka was off to the side, 'supervising' them as he made a ring of flowers for Suki. From what Kotaro could tell, they had had plans last night, and a certain fire bender interrupted them, but it wasn't anything that couldn't be rescheduled to that night (he hoped).

He looked up when he noticed his sister marching over to them with Zuko just behind her, carrying a bag of supplies.

"I need to borrow Appa." Katara said, a determined expression on her face as she came over to Aang, who handed Appa another handful of hay to keep him still while they cleaned out some of his coat.

"Why?" Aang asked, jokingly, he added, "Is it your turn to take a little field trip with Zuko?"

"Yes. It is." Katara replied. Aang looked up, surprised at her sudden, and clearly serious, answer. Hoshiko and Kotaro exchanged confused glances.

"Oh… What's going on?" Aang said, turning to Katara to give her his full attention.

"We're going to find the man that took my mother from me." Katara said. Sokka's head jerked up, and the two Shinjuns looked at Katara in surprise.

"And how exactly are you planning on doing that?" Hoshiko asked slowly as she approached the pair.

"Sokka told me the story of what happened." Zuko said, "I know who did it, and I know how to find him."

"Um… and what exactly do you think this will accomplish?" Aang asked as slowly as Hoshiko had.

Katara scoffed, shaking her head, "I knew you wouldn't understand." She muttered as she turned and began to walk away.

"Wait, stop!" Aang said, "I _do_ understand! You're feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do you think I felt about the sand benders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?"

"She needs this, Aang." Zuko said, "This is about getting closure, and justice."

"This sounds more like getting revenge than getting closure." Hoshiko said.

"Fine! Maybe it is!" Katara snapped, "Maybe that's what I need. Maybe that's what he deserves."

"Katara, you sound like Jet." Aang said.

"It's not the same." Katara said, turning around to face him, "Jet attacked the innocent. This man… he's a monster!"

"Katara, she was my mother, too." Sokka said, walking closer to her, "But, I think Aang might be right."

"Then you didn't love her the way I did!" Katara bit out.

"Katara…!" Sokka exclaimed, hurt by his sister's words.

There was a beat of silence between them all before Aang spoke, "The monks used to say that revenge is like a two-headed rat viper. While you watch your enemy go down, you're being poisoned yourself."

"That's cute, but this isn't air temple pre-school." Zuko said, "It's the real world."

"Now that I know he's out there," Katara began, "Now that I know we can find him, I feel like I have no choice."

"Katara, you _do_ have a choice: forgiveness." Aang said.

"That's the same as doing nothing!" Zuko replied.

"No it's not." Aang said, "It's easy to do nothing, but it's hard to forgive."

"It's not just hard." Katara said, "It's impossible." With that, she turned and walked away from the group, Zuko following her a moment later.

When they had gone, Kotaro turned to the others, "Anyone else get the feeling they're going to try something they shouldn't?"

Aang turned to him, "I'll keep an eye on Appa for today. Make sure they don't do anything."

"Why can't they?" Hoshiko asked, the others all looked at her with wide eyes. "I think she should go."

"But she's only doing this for revenge." Aang said.

"Maybe she is, but she has to take this trip." Hoshiko replied, "This man is a big part of her life, and with something so traumatic… She needs to face him."

"But what if she does end up killing him?" Sokka asked, "I don't want her to take someone's life."

"Katara's a smart girl." Hoshiko said, "She knows right from wrong, and when she sees him, she'll do the right thing."

"Or what she _thinks_ is the right thing." Sokka said, "And she may think that's killing him."

"Do you trust your sister not to make stupid mistakes?" Hoshiko asked him.

"Of course I do." Sokka replied.

"Then you should trust her to make the right decision." Hoshiko said, "Katara isn't rash and thoughtless. She'll think about what she wants to do before she does anything." Sokka and Aang shared a glance, thinking over her words.

* * *

Nothing happened until that night, where Aang and Sokka had set up a watch on the bison. After a while, they saw Katara and Zuko, dressed in dark clothing, going over to Appa, Zuko checking over the supplies he had packed, and Katara stood, putting her hair back in a ponytail so it would be easier to move around stealthily. Aang and Sokka came out from behind the rock where they were hiding over to where the two of them were.

"So you were just gonna take Appa anyway?" Aang snapped as he came over to her.

Katara finished tying her hair back before she turned to him and said, "Yes."

"It's okay, because I forgive you." Aang said, he gave her a hopeful smile, "That give you any ideas?"

"Don't try to stop us." Katara said.

"I wasn't planning to." Aang replied, "This is a journey you need to take. You need to face this man." Katara's face turned to one of soft surprise at his words, but her expression became stoic again and nodded once before grabbing onto Appa's horn and using it to pull herself up onto his head, grabbing his reigns, "But when you do, please don't choose revenge. Let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive him."

"Okay, we'll be sure to do that, Guru Goody-Goody." Zuko said in a mocking tone as he climbed up onto the saddle.

"Thanks for understanding." Katara said softly to him before turning back to her front and giving Appa's reigns a good flick, "Yip yip." The bison took off into the air, flying farther and farther away from where Sokka and Aang were standing.

"You know, you're pretty wise for a kid." Sokka said.

"Thanks Sokka." Aang replied.

"Usually it's annoying, but right now, I'm just impressed." Sokka continued. Aang let out a small, quiet breath of exasperation.

"I appreciate that." He said.

"So… can I borrow Momo for a week?" Sokka asked.

Aang turned to him, quirking an eyebrow, "_Why_ do you need Momo?"

Sokka shrugged his shoulders.

* * *

Hoshiko lay down on her sleeping bag in her tent, and turned over to face Kotaro, who stared at her in a way that made him look deep in thought.

"What?" She asked him.

"I keep thinking about that thing you said earlier." Kotaro said, "All that stuff about revenge."

"What about it?" Hoshiko asked.

"Didn't you run into Mongke on this little journey of yours?" Kotaro asked.

Hoshiko froze at the mention of it. She paused, looking away from him. "Yeah… I did."

Kotaro reached up and moved some hair out of her face to get her to look at him, "And what happened?"

"Let's just say I know how Katara feels." Hoshiko said, "When you know that the person you hate the most is out there… when he's right in _front_ of you…" She furrowed her eyebrows in anger as she thought of it, that smug look on his face, the way that he taunted her… "I just… I wanted to do it. I wanted to take his life. I really did."

"And why didn't you?" Kotaro asked her.

"It wasn't me that was in control at the time." Hoshiko said. "Mongke had said something… It just made me so angry… after that, I blacked out, and I assume Kagemi took over. Aang told me what happened. He said I went at Mongke like a wild animal. I managed to regain control after Kagemi lost consciousness."

"Do you think you would have gone after him, even if she didn't take over?" Kotaro asked.

Hoshiko sighed, "I don't know… And I don't really want to find out." She reached up and took his hand, entwining their fingers together, "Right now, I don't really want to focus on that. I just want to focus on this war. We can figure out my emotional problems later. Okay?"

Kotaro smiled, "Of course." They shared a kiss, and lay back down on the sleeping bags, "Goodnight, Hoshi."

"Goodnight, Kota." Hoshiko bid before closing her eyes.

* * *

The next morning, Hoshiko awoke before Kotaro. She smiled at the sight of his sleeping form, the way his hair messily went over some of his face, and most of the pillow. She gently reached up to brush one his locks away from his eyes, her finger lightly trailing down the scar across his eye. His skin twitched underneath her fingers and she smiled. She leaned in close and gently kissed him. She did so again and again, until she felt his lips moving into a smile and a small laugh bubbling up from his throat.

"Good morning…" He murmured, opening his eyes.

Hoshiko giggled, "Good morning." She kissed him again and he returned it, taking her face in his hands and holding it there as he kissed her again and again. Hoshiko giggled and turned onto her back and Kotaro moved on top of her. Hoshiko had to break away to laugh, and Kotaro smiled at the sound. "Well, that's one way to get you up."

"It's the way I _want_ to get up." Kotaro said, "I want you to wake me up like that every morning from now on." Hoshiko giggled.

"Well, that all depends on whether I get up before you." She said.

"I'll sleep in." Kotaro said with a playful growl as he moved to kiss her again. Hoshiko giggled again and pushed him off of her. Before he could move back on top of her, she sat up to pick up her clothes. Kotaro groaned when he saw she was getting ready. "Do we _have_ to get up?"

"You can do whatever you want," Hoshiko said, "But _I_ am going to take a bath."

Kotaro perked up at that, "Can I come with?"

Hoshiko's face turned to a bright blush and looked back at him, "_No_! It's a bath!"

"I'm gonna marry you someday, so I'm gonna see it eventually." Kotaro said, "Why not now?"

"You little horn-dog!" Hoshiko said with a laugh, smacking him with her clothes. Kotaro laughed and she gathered up her things to clean up, "I swear, if you follow me, you're gonna get it!"

"Alright, alright!" Kotaro laughed as she walked out of the tent, closing the flap behind her.

Hoshiko walked over towards the coastline, walking past Toph, who was just waking up.

"Morning, Kitty Cat." She greeted.

"How'd you know it was me?" Hoshiko asked.

"I'd know your footsteps a mile away." Toph said, she pushed herself up and turned around, "Where's Princey Pants?"

"Zuko left with Katara to go on another journey to solve all our problems." Hoshiko said with a smile. Toph let out a snort of laughter.

"Funny. I call the next one." Hoshiko laughed as she headed down to the coast to find a place to bathe, and eventually found a small cove. The water was a little cold, but with the warmth of the summer sun, it felt pretty good. She picked up her soap and started cleaning herself. She looked up at the sky, which was completely clear of clouds, showing the incredible blue of the sky.

She jumped when she heard rustling and engulfed herself in the water. She looked back to see Kotaro coming by with some soap and a towel. He smiled at her and waved.

"_Kotaro!_" Hoshiko squealed, making sure she was up to her head in the water.

"Relax, I'm going somewhere else!" Kotaro shouted down to her as he continued on past the cove. Hoshiko made sure he was gone before she moved out of the water. She let out a squeal when she heard a wolf whistle and jumped back in.

"_KOTA!_!" Hoshiko shouted angrily. She heard laughing in the distance fading away as Kotaro moved. She waited a little bit, then went back to quickly cleaning herself up. She jumped back out and dressed herself and went back to the camp, pressing a towel to her wet hair as she headed to where Aang was playing with Momo. He looked up when she came towards him.

"Hey." He greeted.

"Hi." She returned, "Any contact from our little adventurers?"

"What?" Aang asked.

"Katara and Zuko." Hoshiko specified.

"Oh. No, I haven't heard from them." Aang said. He waved a small grass talk in front of the lemur, and he frantically pawed at it, trying to catch it. Aang was quiet as Hoshiko leaned back against where Appa was resting on the ground, munching on some hay. Hoshiko looked at Aang and saw that he looked a little worried. He let Momo catch the grass he was waving in front of him, and Momo quickly began to munch on it as Aang slumped back against Appa's leg. "Hoshiko?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Aang asked.

Hoshiko continued to squeeze the water out of her hair onto the towel, thinking, "Well… Yeah. Katara's a strong girl, Zuko's a good bender. I think they can handle one man."

"No, I mean…" Aang looked up at her, "Do you think she'll do it?"

Hoshiko paused in thought, "…I don't know." She said honestly, "I've never pictured Katara as a person who would condone violence and revenge, but… She's got a lot of hate for this man. _I_ would take his life if I hated him that much or I'd mean to, at least." Aang was quiet, Hoshiko turned her head to him, "Do you think she'll take his life?"

"Part of me wants to say no." Aang said, "Part of me wants to believe that Katara wouldn't even think of something like that. But… We weren't raised the same way, I was taught that violence was wrong, that peace was what the world needed. Katara was raised in the South Pole, which has known war for years. My mind knows that she could take his life if she really wanted to." Hoshiko nodded.

"It's a hard thing to think about." Hoshiko said, "But what happens will happen. We'll just have to wait." Aang nodded silently. Hoshiko looked up when she saw Kotaro coming towards them and got up and went over to him, smacking him with her towel, "You total jerk! I told you not to follow me!"

"I wasn't trying to." Kotaro said with a laugh. "I figured I could use a bath too, and just happened to come across you."

"You're a little liar!" Hoshiko said with a laugh of her own. She made a move to smack his shoulder again, and he grabbed her hand before she could.

"Come on, let's go get some breakfast." He said, pulling her along as they left Aang alone to his thoughts.

* * *

Aang looked up at the darkening sky, his brow furrowing worriedly. It was dusk already, and Zuko and Katara had yet to return. Kotaro looked over at where the young monk was sitting, waiting.

"Aang, they'll be here soon enough." He called to him, "Come over and eat with us." Aang looked at him, took one more glance at the sky and went over to join the others. He sat beside Toph, who was munching down on some fish that Sokka had caught for everyone but Aang to eat. Hoshiko handed him a moon peach, and he bit into it, eating it more for the sake of eating than wanting to eat it. Hoshiko noticed it.

"You don't need to be so worried." Hoshiko said, "I'm sure they're fine."

"I can't help it." Aang said, "I just don't want Katara to make the wrong decision."

Hoshiko didn't reply to his words.

Suddenly, Sokka pointed up to the sky, "There they are!" Everyone but Toph turned to see Appa flying in towards them. Aang jumped up and ran to meet them, and everyone followed suit, but not as quickly as Aang had. When Appa landed they saw only Zuko come off the bison, Katara was not there.

"Where's Katara?" Aang asked, eyes wide, fearing the worst.

"She's fine, she just wanted some time alone." Zuko assured him, "I dropped her off on an abandoned dock near the beach."

"What happened?" Aang demanded next.

"We found the man that killed her mother. Katara didn't kill him." Zuko said, Aang's expression cleared and he visibly relaxed, "She wanted to, and she could have, but she didn't. She just walked away."

"Good to hear she came out okay." Hoshiko said.

"I wouldn't call her 'okay' just yet." Zuko said.

"Can you show me where she is?" Aang asked as he hopped up behind Appa's shoulders.

"I'll come too." Hoshiko said, climbing up into Appa's saddle. Zuko followed her and the three of them took off into the air. It was a short ride to where Katara was, sitting on the dock Zuko had told them about, her feet hanging over the side. Aang landed Appa just behind the dock and he quickly jumped down, running over to Katara. Zuko followed him, and Hoshiko simply climbed down, staying beside the bison. She could hear the words that were exchanged between the three of them.

"Katara, are you okay?" Aang asked, concern filling his voice.

"I'm doing fine." Katara answered gently. She sounded a little tired, but she seemed okay.

"Zuko told me what you did," Aang began, "Or… what you didn't do, I guess. I'm proud of you."

"…I wanted to do it." Katara said, "I wanted to take out all my anger at him, but… I couldn't. I don't know if it's because I'm too weak to do it, or if it's because I'm strong enough not to."

"You did the right thing." Aang said, "Forgiveness is the first step you have to take to begin healing."

Katara got up and turned to face Aang for the first time since she had left, her expression hard, "But I didn't forgive him. I'll never forgive him." Her expression as she looked at Zuko, offering him a friendly smile, "But I am ready to forgive you." She walked up to him and gave him a quick embrace, which he returned. It only lasted a moment before she pulled away and walked over to where Hoshiko was. She could still hear the words spoken by Aang and Zuko as she made her way over to her.

"You were right about what Katara needed." Zuko said, "Violence wasn't the answer."

"It never is." Aang said with a small smile, happy that Katara came back safely and happy that she had forgiven Zuko. Hopefully, she wouldn't be making insults to hurl at him anymore.

"Then I have a question for you." Zuko said, turning to face the monk, "What are you going to do when you face my father?"

Hoshiko didn't hear his answer as her attention turned to Katara. The two girls shared a short embrace.

"You okay?" Hoshiko asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Katara said. Hoshiko helped her up into the saddle and she followed suit.

"I heard what you said." Hoshiko said, Katara looked at her, wondering just how she had heard it, and Hoshiko pointed to her ears, wiggling them, "Super Shinjun hearing, remember?" Katara nodded, "I think you did the right thing, even if it may not seem like it right now."

"Really?" Katara asked, Hoshiko nodded.

"Do you remember back when we were in the town of Chin?" Hoshiko asked her.

"Ugh, how could I forget?" Katara rolled her eyes.

"Do you remember how I went up against Colonel Mongke?" Hoshiko asked, Katara nodded, "I wanted to take my revenge on him, and if I hadn't lost control, or if you guys hadn't come, I think I might have. And… that wasn't right. As much as I hate him, I have no right to take his life. If the universe wants me to have my revenge, then I'll get it in due time, if not, then he'll die on his own." Katara paused at her words.

"I never thought of it that way." Katara murmured quietly. Hoshiko smiled at her.

"It helps a little to think that way, huh?" Hoshiko asked. Katara nodded. They looked up when the boys came over to the bison, and they flew back to camp.

* * *

**I'm sorry this took so long! Please don't be mad at me TT^TT**

**I'm trying to be quicker with my updates, but I have a lot of stories that need work, so I apologize for any huge lateness in the future...**

**Also, you can see I made a cover picture for this fic. You can view the full picture on my deviantart account.**

** popcorngamer. deviantart #/ d55dq20**

**Just take out the spaces.**


	39. The Ember Island Players

39

Hoshiko looked out over the side of the saddle as they traveled over the water, frowning as she watched the cloud cover that Aang and Katara had created. She knew they needed to be hidden, but she wanted to at least look out at the sea as they flew. She looked over at Zuko, who seemed to be contemplating the same thing on the other side of the saddle.

"So, where exactly is this safe haven?" She asked him.

"It's my family's old house on Ember Island." Zuko said.

"Whoa, _what?_!" Sokka suddenly turned his attention to the scarred prince, "You never said anything about this being the Fire Lord's _house!_!"

"Don't worry, it's a safe place." Zuko assured, "Nobody's been to that place in a long time. It's been abandoned for years."

"But Ember Island isn't exactly abandoned!" Sokka said, "Someone's gonna notice the prince being back there!"

"The last time I went there, nobody recognized me." Zuko said, he turned to Hoshiko, "You remember that don't you?"

"Ember Island? Yeah I remember." Hoshiko said, "Nobody there knew who you were." She smirked and snorted a little, "Do you think Chan and Ran Juan still remember you?" Zuko let a smile come onto his face at the memory.

"Who're Chan and Ran Juan?" Kotaro asked.

"A couple of guys who invited us to a party." Zuko said.

"We destroyed their house later." Hoshiko said with a grin. Everyone looked at the pair oddly. "Well… technically, Zuko and Kagemi did it…" Everyone still stared at her, and she shifted uncomfortably, "It was Azula's idea!"

"Sounds like fun." Toph said, "How much of it do you remember?"

"Not much to be honest." Hoshiko said, "Remember that it was Kagemi in control, not me." Toph nodded.

"We're close to the island now." Aang announced to the others, he looked back at Zuko, "Where's the house?"

"It should be up on a hill, the area's pretty isolated." Zuko said, coming over to Aang, looking out over the saddle, he pointed it out to him, "There." Sokka directed the bison in the direction Zuko had pointed out while Katara and Aang made careful work to keep their cloud cover until they landed.

The pleasant noise of seagulls came from the beach nearby, and the palm trees swayed in the breeze. The house looked very inviting, nestled at the top of a hill above the beach, but maybe in need of a little fixing up. You could see where the house's paint was beginning to chip, and where the shingles of the roof needed to be replaced. Many of the walls were covered with various plant life that had decided to take advantage of the abandoned place, but it was still a very lovely home. Everyone separated, taking their own tours through the place.

Hoshiko walked around through the house, looking in at the main rooms, through the open and airy porch, into the garden, and finally into the courtyard, Kotaro following her the whole way.

"You look like you're falling in love with the place." Kotaro said with a chuckle. Zuko overheard them as they walked through the courtyard.

"I think I am." Hoshiko said to him, she looked at Zuko, "You know, despite the fact that your dad is pure evil, he had good tastes."

"Actually, my mother did most of the interior decorating." Zuko said, looking around the place, "She wanted it to be comfortable. A _home away from home_ sort of thing."

"Well, since we're gonna be here a while, we should stock up on food." Katara said.

"Me and Suki will go!" Sokka offered quickly. Hoshiko raised a curious eyebrow at his eagerness, but said nothing. He probably just wanted some time alone with her. No one argued with him and gave him the money, sending him off to market.

"And since we're here, we need to train, Aang." Zuko said, Aang nodded and they both headed into the courtyard to practice up. As they started, Kotaro pulled on Hoshiko's hand and pulled her away from the group. They walked around the house for a little, looking for a good room for the two of them, and they soon found one with a large, comfy bed just big enough for the both of them. Hoshiko sat down on the bed and smiled at him.

"This is nice." She said to him. She fell back on the bed, "We need a bed like this."

"Was there something wrong with the sleeping bag?" Kotaro asked.

"Yes, it wasn't big enough." Hoshiko said, she pointed at him, "And I know it was because you wouldn't let go of me when we were sleeping."

"I just wanted to stay warm." Kotaro said innocently.

"You're a little liar. You were humping me in your 'sleep'!" Hoshiko accused with a laugh. She expected him to laugh back and deny it, but paused when he gave her a sultry look.

"And if I was?" He asked, Hoshiko blushed as he stepped closer.

"Kota…" She breathed when he leaned over her, making her lie half-way down on the bed, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Maybe I wanted to do something like that with you." He said, "Is that so wrong?"

"I-It's not wrong, but…" Hoshiko looked away, her face bright red. Kotaro grinned and moved to lie beside her, still grinning.

"You're a beautiful girl, Hoshi." He said, "It's hard to resist you sometimes." Hoshiko smiled and rolled onto her side to kiss his cheek.

"And you're a very handsome boy." She said, Kotaro smiled and turned on his side so he could face her. With a smirk, she added, "Although, I am perfectly able to resist you."

Kotaro immaturely stuck out his tongue at her and pushed her onto her back. Hoshiko laughed at the action, and Kotaro smiled. He moved to get up and headed out of the room, "Well, this apparently-resistible boy is going to go watch Aang train, seeing as there's nothing else to do."

"Oh, I was just teasing!" Hoshiko said, coming after him. When she turned the corner, Kotaro caught her around the waist and kissed her soundly on the lips. When he pulled back, he smiled at her slightly astonished expression.

"So was I." He said, he pressed another quick kiss to her lips before releasing her waist and taking her hand in his so they could continue on together.

They moved to sit on the porch as Aang and Zuko practiced in the courtyard in front of them. Since they had apparently come in at the middle of the lesson, they watched Aang perform a few moves in sync with Zuko. The lesson came to an end soon enough and they both decided to take a break.

"Doesn't it seem kind of weird that we're hiding from the Fire Lord in his own house?" Katara asked, looking around at the architecture of the place.

"I told you, my father hasn't come here since my family was actually _happy_," Zuko said, "And that was a long time ago. It's the last place anyone would think to look for us."

"Hey!" Sokka called to the others as he and Suki came into the courtyard, carrying a couple bags of supplies, and Sokka holding some sort of scroll in his hands, "You guys are not gonna believe this— There's a play about us!"

"We were just in town, and we found this poster." Suki said, gesturing to it as Sokka unrolled it, revealing a picture of a cast depicting Aang, Sokka, Katara, and the eyes of Zuko in the background with an intense red tint.

"What? How is that possible?" Katara asked as she and the others went up to inspect it.

Sokka turned the poster around so that he would be able to read what was on it, "Listen to this: _The Boy in The Iceberg_ is a new production from acclaimed playwright Pu Won Tin, who scoured the globe gathering information on the avatar. From the icy South Pole, to the heart of Ba-Sing-Se. His sources include singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war, and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage."

"Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players." Suki finished.

"Ugh!" Zuko groaned, "My mother used to take us to see them. They butchered _Love Amongst the Dragons_ every year!"

"Sokka, are you sure it's a good idea to attend a play about ourselves?" Kotaro asked.

"Come on! A day at the theater? This is the kind of wacky, time-wasting nonsense I've been missing!" Sokka said, holding up the poster to him again. Kotaro pushed it back down.

"I think it would be interesting." Hoshiko said, "I mean, I'm kind of excited to see how they would depict us."

"It doesn't sound too bad." Aang agreed, "And maybe we could all use a break."

"You're just saying that to get out of earth bending training this afternoon." Toph accused.

"Maybe a little, but I really do want to see this play." Aang said, not about to lie to someone like Toph.

"We'll take a vote." Sokka said, "All in favor of going to the play tonight, raise your hand!" Sokka, Suki, Aang, Toph, and Hoshiko did so, "All opposed?" Zuko, Katara, and Kotaro raised their hands, "Four beats three, we're going!"

* * *

Everyone got prepared for the play, dressing in good outfits they could wear to the theater, and since Shinjuns were allowed inside, Hoshiko and Kotaro were pleased to be able to sit with their friends. Zuko wore a cloak over his clothes to hide his scar so no one would recognize him right away, and Aang wore a hat to cover his arrow tattoo. They purchased their tickets and went to their seats in the back of the room on the high balcony. There were two benches big enough for all of them to sit together.

Toph and Katara all sat on the front bench, and Aang made to sit next to Katara, but Zuko sat in between him and her, not realizing what Aang wanted.

"Hey, uh, I wanted to sit there." Aang said.

"Just sit next to me. What's the big deal?" Zuko asked.

"I was just… I wanted to… okay." Aang relented and sat down beside Zuko as Suki, Sokka, Kotaro and Hoshiko took their seats on the bench behind them.

"Why are we sitting in the nosebleed section?" Toph complained, "My feet can't see a thing from up here!"

"Don't worry, I'll tell your feet what's happening." Katara assured as the lights began to dim. The room became quiet and the curtains rose, revealing a pair of actors depicting Katara and Sokka rowing on a boat in icy seas. Sokka excitedly pointed to them, then at him and Katara, then back at the actors. He was clearly thrilled that the two of them were the first to be seen in the play.

The actress playing Katara sighed loudly, "Sokka, my _only_ brother, we _constantly_ roam these icy South Pole seas, and yet never do we find anything… _fulfilling_." Hoshiko raised a brow at her dramatic tone.

"All I want is a full feeling in my stomach, I'm starving!" The actor playing Sokka declared, making the audience laugh.

Hoshiko and Kotaro shared a glance, sharing a silent message between them. _This is going to be a long play._

"Is food the _only_ thing on your mind?" The actress playing Katara asked.

"Well, I'm trying to get it out of my mind, and into my mouth, I'm starving!" The actor playing Sokka replied, earning another round of laughs from the audience.

"This is pathetic!" Sokka hissed to his sister, "My jokes are way funnier than this!"

Toph cackled in her seat, "I think he's got you pegged!"

The actress playing Katara stood up, "Every day the world awaits a _beacon_ to guide us!" She began dramatically, "Yet _none_ appears! Still, we _cannot_ give up hope, for hope…" She sniffled, "Is _all_ we have!" She fell down on the boat dramatically, apparently beginning to cry, "And we must _never_ relinquish it! Even to our _dying breath_!" She began to sob. Hoshiko snorted behind her hand at the sight of it, and Kotaro had trouble keeping his laughter to himself.

"Well that's just silly." Katara said, not noticing how a few others were giggling about her behavior, "I don't sound like that!"

Toph laughed again, holding her stomach, "Oh man! This writer's a _genius!_"

A light shone down on the boat as a large 'iceberg' appeared behind the boat, with a little floating 'boy' at the top.

"It appears to be someone frozen in ice," The actress playing Katara said, "Perhaps for a hundred years!"

"Oh, good grief." Katara muttered, crossing her arms.

"I told you they were bad actors." Zuko said to her.

"But who?" The actor playing Sokka asked, "Who is the boy in the iceberg?" Aang leaned forward, excited to see his entrance in the play as the two actors went up to the top of the iceberg platform.

"Water bend! Hi-ya!" The actress sliced her hand in a karate motion and the iceberg opened up with an impressive display of white smoke, and from behind out jumped the actor who was playing Aang. The audience applauded the entrance, and Hoshiko had to bury her face in Kotaro's shoulder to keep from guffawing aloud.

It was a _woman_. A little bald woman who was playing Aang.

"Who are you, frozen boy?" The actress playing Katara asked.

The actress playing Aang giggled, "I'm the avatar, silly! Here to spread joy and fun!"

"Wait… is that a _woman_ playing me?!" Aang asked, mortified at the sight of her.

"Well, you _are_ still a kid," Kotaro began, "It's normal for a woman to play the part of a child because their voices are so high. A man's voice would be too deep."

Hoshiko snorted again, "That doesn't make it any less funny though." Aang scowled at her, "Sorry."

On stage, 'Appa' appeared as a big costume beneath which the legs of several men could be seen, like a dragon at a parade. Someone made a fake roar from backstage as it jumped off the platform and started running around the stage.

'Katara' gasped, "An _air bender_! My heart is _so_ full of hope, that it's making me _tear bent_!" She grasped 'Aang's' leg and began to sob loudly.

"My stomach is so empty, that it's making _me_ tear bent!" 'Sokka' said, mimicking his 'sister' and beginning to fake cry while holding onto 'Aang'. "I need meat!"

'Aang' gasped and pointed up, "But wait! Isn't that a platter of meaty dumplings?"

"Ooh! Where? Where?" 'Sokka' asked, looking for it. 'Aang' giggled.

"Did I mention that I'm an incurable prankster?" She asked with a grin. The audience laughed at her antics.

"I don't do that!" The real Aang said, "That's not what I'm like! And I'm _not_ a woman!"

Toph laughed, "Oh, they nailed you, Twinkle Toes!"

'Katara', 'Aang', and 'Sokka' moved off the stage and a ship set moved center strange on which stood people dressed as Zuko and Iroh. Iroh was very short and pudgy with white hair sticking out in pointy tuffs from his chin, cheeks, and topknot.

"Prince Zuko," 'Iroh' began, his voice very cartoonish, "You must try this cake!"

"I don't have time to stuff my face!" 'Zuko' snapped, his voice cartoonishly throaty and hard, "I must capture the avatar to regain my honor!"

"Well, while you do that, maybe I'll capture another slice!" 'Iroh' said, before devouring the cake.

"You sicken me." 'Zuko' said, looking back out the telescope prop.

"They make me look totally stiff and humorless." Zuko muttered, crossing his arms.

"Actually, I think that actor's pretty spot on." Katara said, giggling.

"How could you say that?" Zuko snapped.

"Let's forget about the avatar, and get massages!" 'Iroh' said.

"How could you say that?!" 'Zuko' snapped. The real Zuko groaned and covered his eyes. Toph couldn't stop laughing, and Hoshiko couldn't help the giggles that slipped out of her.

The play went slowly, covering the major events, and Hoshiko didn't understand most of it, but watched with interest as they went to the Southern Air Temple and found Momo, which was really just a puppet with a fake arm attached to it. Then they went on to Kyoshi Island, where they met 'Suki', and 'Sokka' donned a warrior's costume, asking if the dress made his butt look fat, a part where Suki giggled uncontrollably. Then, they met a big, muscled Bumi and faced his "riddles and challenges" which somehow ended with 'Aang' fighting a man in a bunny costume while 'Katara' moaned dramatically. Then they went on to steal a water bending scroll from some pirates, where 'Sokka' asked why she stole it, and she tearfully replied, "It just gave me so much _hope!_" The real Katara couldn't stop rolling her eyes at the actress.

Then, it got to a point where, as Hoshiko understood it, 'Aang' had been captured by 'Zuko' (She knew it was supposed to be Zhao, but she hadn't seen him once in the entire play, so she assumed they just took him out). Then, someone dressed in a five foot tall Blue Spirit mask came to rescue 'Aang', and when he had defeated everyone, 'Aang' happily declared, "My hero!" and jumped into his arms. Zuko and Aang shared an awkward glance at the sight of it, but said nothing. Zuko was just thankful they didn't know _he_ was the Blue Spirit.

The set changed to a forest and the annoying sound of 'Katara's' sobbing reached their ears again as she and an actor lowered on a rope swing over the set.

"Don't cry, baby!" The actor depicting Jet said, "Jet will wipe out that nasty town for _you_!"

'Katara' popped one of her legs up, looking completely smitten with him as they made it look like the town was being flooded, "Oh, Jet," 'Katara' purred, "You're so _bad_." Katara's face bloomed in a red blush and tried to hide her face with her hands in her embarrassment.

"Wow, Katara." Hoshiko said, shaking with laughter, "I knew you had a crush on Jet, but… _wow!_"

"Hush!" Katara snapped.

Soon, the play reached the part where they arrived at the North Pole, and the gang had met Yue.

"This must be my entrance!" Hoshiko said excitedly, looking forward to seeing herself on stage.

"Wow, we're finally here at the North Pole!" 'Aang' said happily as they walked onto the stage. On the other side, a young woman in a white wig appeared, and behind her, another young woman with big, oversized cat ears and an incredibly fluffy black tail. Hoshiko lifted a brow at her appearance, but decided that was just how stage makeup was done.

"Hello, avatar." 'Yue' greeted them, "I am Princess Yue."

"Wowie!" 'Sokka' exclaimed, putting on a completely smitten look and running over to Yue, getting down on one knee and smiling goofily up at her, "You sure are a pretty princess!" The actress playing Hoshiko came over and hit the back of his head with a karate chop, and he fell to the ground cartoonishly stiff.

"And I'm her bodyguard, Hoshiko." She snapped at him. "If you know what's good for you, you won't get too close." 'Sokka' held a bump on his head and got up, going back to the others.

"Well, at least they got that part right." Hoshiko said.

"I didn't think we would find a Shinjun here in the North Pole!" 'Katara' said, looking at her.

"I'm not staying here." 'Hoshiko' said, "I'm only here until I find my precious soul mate!" Hoshiko's lips pursed when she saw her actress strike a dreamy pose at the mention of 'soul mate' before turning back to the others, "You see, we got separated years ago when we were on vacation in the Fire Nation."

"_Vacation?_!" Hoshiko hissed angrily, gripping the back of the bench in front of her. "I was enslaved, dumbass!"

'Hoshiko' sighed, "But I've been here for so long, waiting for him to appear, but I've just about given up hope that he will ever come."

"Oh, you must _never_ give up hope!" 'Katara' said, quickly coming to her, taking her hands in hers, "We will help you find your beloved soul mate!"

"Oh, thank you!" 'Hoshiko' said, "You are my new best friend!" She and 'Katara' hugged happily. Hoshiko and Katara looked at the stage in disbelief, knowing their relationship didn't start like that _at all_.

"Hooray! A new friend!" 'Aang' said happily, jumping in between the two girls, "Group hug!" The three girls hugged with happy smiles on their faces as 'Sokka' snuck off with 'Yue'.

Hoshiko rolled her eyes at the sight of it, "Oh, brother."

The play progressed on, going to the Fire Nation attack on the North Pole, and in the middle of it, 'Yue' turned into the Moon Spirit.

"Don't go, Yue!" 'Sokka' said, "You're the only woman who's ever taken my mind off of food!" They shared a kiss, and 'Sokka' smacked his lips, "Did you have pickled fish for dinner?"

"Goodbye Sokka," 'Yue' said in a dreamy voice as she was lifted up on a moon platform, "I have important moon duties to take care of. And yes, I did have pickled fish."

Sokka's eyes teared up as he watched and Suki was giggling.

"You never told me you made out with a moon spirit." Suki giggled.

"_Shh_!" Sokka hissed, "I'm trying to watch!"

Suki scowled at him.

Hoshiko looked down at her bracelet, and Kotaro saw her behavior. He gently covered her hand and kissed her cheek, offering her some comfort. She smiled at him, silently saying 'thank you' and thread her fingers through his.

The set was cleared again and little Fire Nation ships began to move across the floor of the stage. In a moon fish costume, 'Aang' came out and began stomping and kicking the little ships, a Zhao doll in her hand, exclaiming, "The avatar's back to save the day! Yay!"

The curtain came down then for intermission, and Toph was the only one of the group who joined in with the applause, everyone else was groaning, glad to have a break from the play. The group left the theater to meet on the stairs outside the balcony they had been sitting in.

"So far, this intermission is the best part of the play." Zuko said.

"Tell me about it." Hoshiko agreed, "They make me look like a totally lovesick ditz! All my character ever does is talk about Kotaro!"

"And apparently, the playwright thinks I'm an idiot who tells bad jokes about meat all the time!" Sokka complained, holding a bag of jerky.

"Yeah, you tell bad jokes about plenty of other topics." Suki said.

"_I know_!" Sokka cried.

"At least the Sokka actor kinda looks like you." Aang said, "That woman playing the avatar doesn't resemble me at all!"

"I don't know." Toph said, "You are more in touch with your feminine side than most guys."

Aang stood with an insulted noise, but Katara said, "Relax, Aang. They're not accurate portrayals. It's not like I'm a preachy crybaby who can't resist giving over-emotional speeches about hope all the time."

A silence followed her comment.

"What?" Katara asked, looking around at them.

"_Yeeeah_, that's not you _at all_." Kotaro said, earning him a jab from Hoshiko. "And to be honest, with the way they're portraying you guys, I'm not looking forward to how they're going to show me."

"Listen friends," Toph began, "It's obvious that the playwright did his research. I know it must hurt, but what you're seeing up there on that stage is the truth."

When they filed back in, the play opened up revealing a set meant for Ba-Sing-Se.

"Well, here we are in the Earth Kingdom!" 'Katara' said.

"I better have a look around to see if I can find an earth bending teacher!" 'Aang' said, being pulled up on a harness to fly over the crowd.

"This is it! This must be where I come in!" Toph said excitedly.

"I flew all over town," 'Aang' said, coming to a landing on the stage, "But I couldn't find a single earth bending master!"

"Here it comes!" Toph said, nearly jumping in her seat.

Rocks on the set suddenly began to rise as a trapdoor in the floor opened and an enormous muscley man with shaggy black hair and an outfit resembling Toph's rose up, lifting the fake rocks above this head.

"You can't find an earth bending master in the sky," He said, "You have to look underground!" He threw the fake rock away, to crash somewhere else. Everyone began laughing at the sight of the actor depicting Toph. Toph was standing and listening intently.

"Who're you?" 'Aang' asked him.

The man spat at the ground before speaking, "My name's Toph, because it sounds like tough, and that's just what I am!"

"Wait a minute… I sound like… a _guy_." Toph said, "A really buff _guy_."

"Well, Toph, what you hear up there is the truth." Katara said smugly, "It hurts, doesn't it?"

"Are you kidding me?!" Toph said, beaming, "I wouldn't have cast it any other way!" She happily sat back in her seat, "At least it's not a flying bald lady!" Aang scowled and moved his hat further down his head to cover his arrow.

"So, you're blind?" 'Aang' asked, waving her hand in front of 'Toph's' face.

He chuckled, "I can see you doing that. I see everything that you see. Except I don't 'see' like you do. I release a sonic wave from my mouth." He turned to the group and let out a scream that was like a banshee's. Hoshiko and Kotaro covered their ears with winces on their faces, as did most of the audience, but Toph had the widest grin on her face as she listened, "There. I got a pretty good look at you." The audience applauded him.

The play progressed on, moving on to where Zuko, who was wearing a ridiculously long and flowing wig separated from his uncle. The play moved on to where they fought Azula in a run-down town, and they had cornered her, and to escape, she pointed to the sky and said, "Wait! What's that? I think it's your honor!" And when everyone turned away, she went through a door and escaped. The play moved to a village, where a white haired man sat down on the ground, begging for food, wearing a large had and a heavy cloak.

"Spare change?" He asked 'Zuko' holding up a bowl.

"Oh no…" Kotaro groaned, realizing that this must have been his entrance.

"I have my own money to look after!" 'Zuko' snapped. "You look familiar, though. Have I seen you before?" He lifted up the hat to look at the man, and gasped, stepping back as the hat fell off, revealing a set of ridiculously huge wolf ears. "Kotaro!"

"Prince Zuko!" 'Kotaro' exclaimed, standing up with a smile. They shared a handshake.

"What?" Kotaro asked, looking at the stage in disbelief. He and Zuko shared a glance, wondering what the heck was happening.

"It has been a long time." 'Zuko' said, "What are you doing here? Are you still searching for your soul mate?" 'Kotaro' nodded silently, "I see. I too, am searching for someone. Perhaps we can search together?" 'Kotaro' nodded and followed 'Zuko' and 'Iroh' as the play moved on to Ba-Sing-Se.

"What just happened?" Suki asked.

"Apparently the playwright thinks we knew each other before." Kotaro said.

"I'm sorry, but does no one else notice how there is next to no mention of slavery in this play?" Hoshiko asked, "It's really starting to tick me off."

The play continued on to a very boring scene with 'Aang' trying to stop the drill in Ba-Sing-Se, which she did, but it wasn't as exciting as they had hoped it would be. The play moved on to where they found 'Jet', who was crazy after being brainwashed by the Dai Lee. The scene ended with him going into a sort of spasm, and as a rock floated down on the set, he moved under it.

"Did Jet just… die?" Zuko asked.

"You know, it was really unclear." Sokka said.

The next scene was really awkward. It was where Katara and Zuko were trapped in the crystal catacombs of Ba-Sing-Se. And things between the two actors were… well…

"I have to admit, Prince Zuko," 'Katara' began, "I _really_ find you attractive."

"You don't have to make fun of me." 'Zuko' snapped at her.

"But I_ mean_ it," 'Katara' purred, moving to sit next to him, "I've had eyes for you since the day you first captured me."

Zuko and Katara shared an awkward glance, and put space between the two of them on the bench.

"Wait!" 'Zuko' said, standing up, "I thought you were the avatar's girl!" Hoshiko saw Aang stiffly nod once.

'Katara' laughed, "The avatar?" She stood up and walked over to him, "Why, he's like a _little brother_ to me! I _certainly_ don't think of him in a _romantic_ way. Besides, how could he ever find out about… _this_?" She and 'Zuko' came close and wrapped their arms around each other. Aang abruptly stood up to leave.

Sokka, oblivious as ever, saw him do so, "Oh, you're getting up? Can you get me some fire flakes?" Aang wasn't listening as he left the room. Hoshiko looked after him pitifully, knowing that he must have been upset by this scene.

The next scene depicted the avatar gang as they came across Iroh and Kotaro, who were asking for their help in freeing Zuko. When 'Kotaro' saw 'Hoshiko' however, that was completely disregarded as she ran to him and dramatically jumped in his arms.

"Oh, _Kotaro_!" She cried happily, "My one and only love! After all this time I have _finally_ found you!" They shared a sloppy kiss, which made the actual Hoshiko and Kotaro grimace a little.

"Oh, like we'd ever." The real Hoshiko muttered, throwing some popcorn at the stage.

"Actually, I'm surprised you two _didn't_ do that." Sokka said with a grin, earning a handful of popcorn in his face.

Suddenly, 'Hoshiko' moaned and stepped away from 'Kotaro' "Ughhh… Ohhh…"

"What's the matter?" 'Aang' asked.

"Oh, no! It's happening again!" 'Hoshiko' cried, she reached her hand out to Kotaro, "My love! Save me! _Aaaaah_!" Suddenly, a thick black tarp came up from below stage, and there was a dramatic moment, where a spotlight shown down on where 'Hoshiko' was behind the black tarp. She let out a cry and fell to the ground, and when the tarp disappeared, another person dressed in a completely different costume, all black, stood up.

"Ha, ha, ha!" The actress laughed, "Behold! After so many years, I, _Kagemi_, the _ni-nin_ of Hoshiko's shadow bending, am in control once more!" She turned to 'Kotaro' "Get out of my way, dog boy!" When he didn't move 'Kagemi' used shadow bending to knock him aside and walk off stage. When she was gone, 'Kotaro' collapsed on his knees, crying out with a dramatic wolf howl. The real Kotaro gaped at the stage.

"Since when do I howl_?_!" He demanded angrily, taking offense to the animalistic characteristics they had added to him.

The next scene that came up was with 'Azula', 'Zuko', and 'Iroh'. The stage held up two flags, one for the Fire Nation, and one for the Earth Kingdom. Zuko stood in between the two as his uncle stood on the Earth Kingdom side, and Azula on the Fire Nation side.

"Well, my brother? What's it going to be?" 'Azula' asked, "Your nation? Or a life of treachery?" The Zuko actor looked very torn between the two.

"Choose treachery!" 'Iroh' said, "It's more fun!" 'Zuko' began to walk over to him.

"No way!" 'Azula' cried. 'Zuko' looked at 'Iroh' and pushed him down before walking over to 'Azula'.

"I hate you, Uncle! You smell! And I hate you for all time!" 'Zuko' shouted, before walking away with 'Azula' as the Earth Kingdom flag came down on 'Iroh'.

Katara held her hand over her mouth and looked over at the slumping Zuko, who looked at the stage miserably, "You didn't really say that, did you?" She asked.

"I might as well have." Zuko muttered.

The next scene, Azula came upon Kagemi fighting off some of the Dai Lee, who she defeated easily. She smiled and said, "How would you like to give your loyalty to the Fire Nation, Shinjun?" Kagemi turned to her and bowed.

"It would be my honor, your majesty." She said.

"The pacing in this play is terrible." Hoshiko muttered.

The next and final scene of this act was where Aang got shot by Azula's lightning and then the curtains closed for another intermission. Everyone wanted to get out of the theater, so they all converged just outside their room, as did many others who went to get refreshments.

"It seems like every time there's a big battle, you guys barely make it out alive." Suki commented, "I mean, you guys lose a lot."

"You're one to talk, Suki. Didn't Azula take you captive? That's right! She did!" Sokka replied.

"Are you trying to get on my bad side?" Suki asked.

Sokka stepped back, "I'm just sayin'."

"Does anyone know where Aang is?" Katara asked, coming up to the group.

"He left to get me fire flakes, like, ten minutes ago." Sokka said, "And I'm _still_ waiting!"

"Like it's impossible for you to get your own fire flakes." Hoshiko said, Sokka stuck out his tongue at her immaturely, and she mimicked him.

"I'm gonna check outside." Katara said, going to see if she could find Aang.

After she had left, Sokka turned to Suki, "Suki, what are the chances you can get me back stage? I got some jokes I wanna give to the actor me." Suki turned to him with a serious expression on her face.

"I'm an elite warrior who's trained for many years in the art of stealth." She said, sounding as if she was insulted by his question. The seriousness was broken when she smiled and said, "I think I can get you backstage." He and Suki walked away to find a way inside.

"I think those jokes the Sokka-actor gives are pretty accurate." Kotaro said, "And he should be thankful his character even has lines. Mine has only spoken up _twice_, and that's not counting the stupid wolf howl." As he talked, a little boy dressed in an Aang costume ran by them.

"Geez, everyone's getting so upset about their characters." Toph said, she looked at where Zuko sat against the wall, his cloak up over his head, "Even _you_ seem more down than usual, Princey Pants. And that's saying something."

"You don't get it. It's different for you." Zuko said, "You get a muscley version of yourself taking down ten bad guys at once and making sassy remarks."

"Yeah, that's pretty great." Toph said with a grin.

"But for me," Zuko began, "It takes all the mistakes I've made in my life and shoves them back in my face. My uncle… He's always been on my side, even when things were bad. He was there for me, he taught me so much. And how do I repay him? With a knife in his back!" He slammed his fist down on the floor. Hoshiko jumped at his sudden ferocity, but it disappeared as Zuko's expression turned to one of sadness, "It's my greatest regret, and I may never get to redeem myself." Toph slid down to sit beside him.

"You _have_ redeemed yourself to your uncle." She said, "You don't realize it, but you already have."

"How do you know?" Zuko asked.

"Because I once had a long conversation with the guy," Toph said, "And all he would talk about was you."

Zuko's face brightened a little and he moved his hood away, "Really?"

"Yeah, and it was kind of annoying." Toph said.

"Oh, sorry." Zuko said. Toph smiled at him.

"But it was also very sweet." She added, Zuko smiled softly, "All he wanted was for you to find your own path and see the light. Now, you're here with us. He'd be proud." She punched his shoulder.

"Ow!" He scowled and rubbed the spot that she hit, "What was that for?"

"That's how I show affection." Toph said, "You should see Hoshiko's shoulder. She's sure to still have a few bruises." Zuko looked over at Hoshiko and she nodded.

"She likes to do love taps." She said, "'Cuz hugs and kisses are too girly for her." Toph stuck out her tongue in Hoshiko's direction and she laughed.

The little boy in the Aang costume came back again and looked at Zuko's face, seeing as it was no longer hidden by his cloak, and smiled at him, "Your Zuko costume's pretty good, but your scar's on the wrong side."

He took off running again, and Hoshiko burst into laughter when Zuko yelled, "The scar's _not_ on the wrong side!" And put his cloak back on with an angry huff.

"I'm curious as to why they chose a separate actress to play Kagemi," Hoshiko spoke up after a moment. "She and I are technically the same person, not in personality obviously, but in appearance."

"Maybe the Hoshiko actress couldn't get the personality down?" Kotaro suggested with a shrug.

Soon, there was the call for everyone to come back to the play, and they went back inside. As much as they didn't like this play, they wanted to see it to the end. Once everyone came back, Sokka had a happy expression on his face, looking rather proud of himself, with Suki on his arm.

"I take it your trip backstage went well?" Kotaro asked him.

"Yep!" Sokka said happily. They all sat down, watching the play. Hoshiko looked around when she saw Aang hadn't come back. She tapped Katara's shoulder as the lights dimmed and they opened onto the first scene.

"Where's Aang?" She whispered.

"He's fine," Katara assured, "The play's just getting to him."

"Oh." Hoshiko said, though she had a feeling it wasn't just the play. She let the subject drop, though, watching the play go on.

After a while, she saw Aang coming back in, and he moved to sit beside Sokka, instead of his previous place beside Zuko.

"Here's what you missed," Sokka whispered to him, "We went to the Fire Nation, and Kotaro joined the group, and you got better, and Katara was the Painted Lady, and I got a sword, and I think combustion man died. Ooh! Look! The invasion's about to start!" Aang didn't say anything.

"You okay?" Hoshiko whispered to him. She was quickly shushed by Sokka, and she scowled at him.

"I just want to let you know, Aang," 'Katara' said, "That I'll _always_ love you… like a brother!"

"I wouldn't want it any other way!" 'Aang' replied girlishly before taking off into the air on her 'glider'. Everyone grouped together to look for enemy ships, and when there was a pause, 'Sokka' spoke up.

"Hey, Toph, would you say you and Aang have a _rocky relationship_?" He asked. The crowd burst into laughter and Sokka began to excitedly jump in his seat.

"I told him to say that!" He whispered happily to the others, who rolled their eyes at his excitement.

"I hope everyone's ready for the invasion. _Slap-a-pow_!" 'Sokka' continued, striking a pose. The real Sokka burst into laughter, as did most of the audience.

The scene changed to the Fire Lord's throne room, where everyone grouped together.

"We finally made it to the royal palace, but no one's home!" 'Aang' said.

"Actually, I'm home." 'Zuko' said, "And I want to join you!"

"I guess we have no choice." 'Sokka' said, "Come on!"

The real Zuko scoffed, "It was _not_ that easy."

"Wait!" 'Kagemi' said, jumping out from side stage, "I can't let you leave! Where the princess has failed, I will prevail, and take the avatar's life!" Everyone prepared for a battle, but 'Kotaro' stopped them by holding up his hand and walking over to where 'Kagemi' was. She looked confusedly at him, until he suddenly swept her into a kiss. Hoshiko looked at the scene oddly, and Kotaro scrunched his nose slightly at the sight of it. When he pulled away, 'Kagemi' made a choking sound, holding her throat, "What… What have you done to me?"

"I've given Hoshiko the only chance she has to come back." 'Kotaro' said. Kagemi kept pretending to choke.

"Nooooooo!" She cried as a black tarp came up over her, which, with special effects, turned white, and suddenly, 'Hoshiko' had returned.

"Kotaro!" She cried happily, jumping into his arms with a smile, "I knew you would come for me, my love!" 'Kotaro' smiled and they all walked off stage, ending the scene.

"I guess that's it." Sokka said, standing up, "The play's caught up to the present now."

"Wait, the play's not over!" Suki said, pulling him back down.

"But it is over, unless… this is the future!" He said, making a spooky "oooOOOooo" Sound with his mouth until Hoshiko slapped the back of his head to get him to shut up, "Sorry."

An actor playing Ozai appeared on his throne, "With the energy harnessed from that comet," He gestured to a lantern representing Sozin's comet, "No one will be able to stop the Fire Nation!"

'Azula' ran into the throne room, "Father! Zuko and the avatar are at the palace. They're trying to stop you."

"You take care of Zuko," 'Ozai' said, making very dramatic gestures, "I will face the avatar… myself!" And with a carefully placed puff of smoke, 'Ozai' disappeared through a trapdoor.

'Aang' and 'Zuko' appeared on either side of 'Azula' "Aang, you find the Fire Lord, I'll hold her off!" 'Zuko' said, and the actress playing Aang took off into the air.

"You are no longer my brother," 'Azula' declared, "You are an enemy!"

"No! I am the rightful heir to the throne!" 'Zuko' said.

"We'll see…" 'Azula' said.

The two of them battled. It was a very impressive display, considering their 'fire bending' was really just long lines of ribbon. Zuko watched with wide eyes as flame-shaped tarps suddenly rose up, the largest one ending where 'Zuko' was. And through the silky material, they could see his silhouette as the actor fell to his knees and disappeared from existence through a trap door in the stage, crying "Honor!"

The audience applauded her victory, while the gang looked at Zuko, who was just as speechless as they were.

Next, 'Aang' came upon 'Ozai' in his throne room.

"So, you have mastered all four elements?" He rumbled, looking at the actress.

"Yeah! And now, you're goin' down!" 'Aang' said in a voice that was far too cheery to be suited to the scene.

"No, it is _you_ who are going down!" 'Ozai' stood up, "You see, you are too late! The comet is already here, and I'm _unstoppable!_" Aang watched with wide eyes as the Aang on stage battled 'Ozai'. The battle was very intense, considering it was all just special effects. Hoshiko was on the edge of her seat. The battle just seemed far too real. She wanted to do something to help 'Aang'. Kotaro was just as tense as she was, and carefully grasped her hand in his, holding it tightly as she watched.

A little into the battle, 'Ozai' shot a river of 'fire' at 'Aang' which swirled around her until she fell onto the ground, all the while shouting, "_Noooooo!_"

Everyone stared at the stage with big eyes, unable to believe what just happened.

"It is over, Father." 'Azula' said, coming up to him, "We've done it!"

"Yes, we have done it." 'Ozai' said, 'flames' rose up around him as 'Ozai' was lifted up onto a platform, "The dreams of my father and my father's father have been realized!" The Fire Nation flag dropped behind him in the background, "The world… is… _mine!_"

Everyone in the audience stood up except for the gang, who all stared at the stage in disbelief. They were in Fire Nation territory, so they should have expected a happy ending for the Fire Nation, but… This was just…

* * *

None of the gang bothered to stick around to see the actors after the show. Instead, they gathered their things up and left. They walked in silence for a while, until they were well outside the theater and heading on the path home.

"That… wasn't a good play." Zuko said.

Everyone voiced their agreements.

"I'll say."

"No kidding."

"Horrible."

"You said it."

"But the effects were decent."

"I guess."

"The dialogue was _terrible_."

"Oh yeah."

"You're just upset because your character didn't have any lines."

"I'm not allowed to be upset over that?"

"Never mind."

* * *

Hoshiko awoke in the middle of the night, looking out at the walls of the room she and Kotaro shared. She glanced over at him, seeing that he was sound asleep on his side of the bed. Sighing softly to herself, she tried to move the bed as little as possible and got out, deciding she needed to take a long walk to tire herself out so she could sleep. If Kotaro sensed that she had gotten up in his sleep, he made no indication of it.

She got out of the room, sliding the door shut and walking through the house. She stopped when she came upon another form hunched over the stairs in the courtyard. She couldn't see them very well, so she switched to her natural 'night vision' her pupils turning a bright green color as she looked to see who it was.

"Aang?" She called to him. The young air bender looked up when his name was called and Hoshiko came down towards him, her eyes still green, "Aang, it's the middle of the night. What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Aang said, his voice sounded tired. Hoshiko sat down beside him.

"I couldn't sleep." She said, "That play… I know it was just a play, but…" She turned to Aang, "The thought of losing this war terrifies me. I didn't want to get nightmares." Aang nodded.

"Me too." He said, "I don't want to let the world down. And Sozin's comet is just a few days away." Hoshiko looked at him with wide eyes.

"…No it's not." She said, Aang turned to her.

"Yes, it is." He said strongly, "I checked. It'll come in four days' time." Hoshiko covered her mouth in shock.

"Gods…" She breathed. Four days? Well, technically it was night now, so only three days away. Three days! "That's so close…" Aang nodded again.

"I don't think I'll be ready to face the Fire Lord in three days." Aang said, "My air bending is perfect, but my water bending could use improvement, so could my earth bending, and I know little more than the basics in fire bending." Hoshiko nodded, knowing what he said was true. "I won't be strong enough to face him then." He slumped further, looking at the ground. Hoshiko looked at him oddly as his shoulders began to shake.

"Aang…?" She called quietly.

"I'm scared, Hoshiko." Aang said, his voice breaking. Hoshiko's eyes widened when she realized he was crying. She had forgotten that even with all that power and strength and wisdom, Aang was still just a kid. She put her arm around his shoulders and held him as he silently cried. He was still just a child, he couldn't take the weight of the world on his shoulders, not yet, anyways. Maybe when he was older, but not now. He was still just a kid. The weight of the world rested on the shoulders of a little boy. Hoshiko gently rubbed his back, comforting him as he let out his fears. They stayed that way for a few minutes, until Aang lifted his head, sniffling, and wiping the tears from his eyes. Hoshiko didn't say anything, knowing that he probably didn't feel better, and he was definitely not okay right now. Aang let out a shaky breath and turned to her, "Thanks."

"No problem." She replied. They sat together a little longer in silence, Hoshiko staying there for Aang, silently letting him know that if he needed anything, she was there.

"I won't be ready in three days." Aang said, "There's no way I'll be ready."

"What do you want to do?" Hoshiko asked quietly, "It's you who has to face him, Aang. This is your decision." Aang nodded and thought for a moment.

He turned to her, "I think we should wait until after the comet's passed." He said, "I'll be ready by then." Hoshiko nodded.

"Then that's what we'll do." She said, although a little voice in the back of her mind was telling her it was a bad idea, she ignored it and tossed it away. Aang stood up, and she followed. "Do you want to walk with me? I'm trying to tire myself out before I go to sleep." Aang shook his head.

"No, I'll be okay." He said, "I'll tell the others what I'm doing tomorrow." Hoshiko nodded and gently put her hand on his shoulder.

"We're all here for you, Aang." She said, "You know that, right?" Aang nodded and smiled gratefully at her.

"Yeah, thanks Hoshi." She smiled and went on, planning on going to the beach to walk for a little bit, "Hoshiko." She turned around, "I really mean it… Thanks." Hoshiko smiled at him.

"You're welcome, Aang." She said, and returned to what she had been doing before and continued walking.

Still, in the back of her mind, was that tiny little voice, telling her that waiting was the worst thing to do, but she tried to ignore it as she went on.

* * *

**I have no excuse for this lateness. I'm really sorry.**


	40. Sozin's Comet Part 1: The Phoenix King

40

The next morning, Aang gathered everyone who was awake (Zuko was sleeping in), and told him about waiting to fight the Fire Lord after the comet, when objections were voiced, Aang reminded them of how close the comet was to arriving, and how he was certain he couldn't be ready to fight in only three days. After a moment of silence, where the nearness of the comet's date hit all of them, they began to agree.

"That… That's probably the safest idea." Sokka said.

"Wait, hold on," Kotaro spoke up, "Are we seriously just gonna let this slide? He's the _Fire Lord_! If we don't want him to win the war, then—"

"Kotaro, Fire Lord Ozai's pretty much won." Hoshiko said, getting his attention, "He already took the Earth Kingdom when he took Ba-Sing-Se, and when they attacked the North Pole… well, you saw what happened. There's nothing more that he can do now that he hasn't done already, and Aang isn't prepared to face him." She turned to the monk, "I think it's safest to wait, too." He smiled at her. Kotaro sighed.

"Well…" He looked at the others, seeing that they were all in agreement, "I'd rather you'd just take out the Fire Lord as soon as possible."

"But I'm not ready, and it's not like I can go into the avatar state to defeat him." Aang argued. Kotaro sighed again.

"Alright, even if I _am_ against this, it seems everyone else is on your side." He said, "And… I trust your judgment." Aang smiled at him.

"Thank you Kotaro." He said.

* * *

Kotaro and Hoshiko sat on the steps as everyone watched Aang and Zuko practicing fire bending. He was doing a very impressive display, but Zuko wasn't satisfied with it.

"More ferocious!" He ordered, and Aang shot out another blast of fire, "Imagine striking through your opponent's heart!"

Aang let out a frustrated groan, "I'm _trying_!" He exclaimed.

"Let me hear you roar like a tigerdillo!" Zuko yelled.

Aang let out a roar, some flames shooting out of his hands and mouth.

"That sounded pathetic. I said _roar_!" Zuko said with a scowl.

Aang took a deep breath and threw his head back, letting out a loud roar, fire bursting out from his palms and mouth. When Zuko nodded in approval, Katara held up two hollowed out fruits and smiled.

"Who wants a nice, cool glass of watermelon juice?" She called. Instantly, Aang turned around with an eager smile.

"Ooh! Ooh! Me, me, me!" He began running over to Katara, only to have Zuko grab the back of his clothes and lifting him up off the ground to stop him.

"Hey, your lesson's not over yet! Get back here!" Zuko snapped.

"Come on, Zuko," Suki said, "Just take a break. What's the big deal?" Zuko scowled, but released Aang.

"Fine." The second the air bender was free, he dashed over to Katara, gratefully taking one of the fruits and drinking out of the straw she had put in it, "If you wanna lounge around like a bunch of snail-sloths all day, then go ahead!" He marched off angrily into another part of the house.

"Maybe Zuko's right." Sokka said after he was gone. Hoshiko looked down at him, "Sitting around the house has made us pretty lazy, but I know just the thing to change that." He stood up and took off his clothes-with the exception of his underwear- and shouted, "_Beach party!_"

"My eyes!" Hoshiko cried, covering them, "They _burn_!" Everyone laughed at her except Sokka, who scowled. She laughed and looked up at him, "Oh, come on, Sokka. I'm just kidding." She stood up, patting his head as she walked past him, "I think a beach party sounds great right now! Last one to the shore is a rotten platypus bear egg!" She started running down to the shore, and the first person to start running behind her was Kotaro, and everyone followed suit, shedding their clothes on the way.

Once they got down to the water, Hoshiko was the first to jump in, Kotaro just behind her. They both came up spluttering sea water, and smiled at each other. Katara used her water bending to make a surf board out of ice and surfed along the water. Sokka kept going to the sea, to the shore, over near where Suki was getting a tan. He went to the ocean and got some seaweed, went back to get some water, and then began construction on a sand sculpture. When Hoshiko saw that Aang was making his own, she started walking out of the ocean, Kotaro still with her as they went over to see a huge Appa, and the real Appa getting a good look at it.

"Check out my Appa sand sculpture!" Aang said, after he had stuck in a couple pieces of driftwood for horns. The real Appa let out a grunt at the sandy one.

"Well done, Aang." Hoshiko said, comparing it to the actual Appa, "It's almost life-size."

"Not bad, Baldie." Toph praised him, "But I've been working on my sand-bending." She cracked her knuckles in preparation. "You're gonna _love_ this." With a single motion, she had used her earth bending to create a miniature version of the entire upper ring of Ba-Sing-Se, with expertly designed miniature houses, and even little sand people in the streets. The three of them looked at Toph's work in awe. Aang bent down to get a closer look, and his eyes widened in awe at the detail.

"Wow! You even added a little Earth King and Bosco." He said.

"When did you learn to do that?" Hoshiko asked.

"Xana and I would practice sometimes when you and Wolfy were being all mushy." Toph said.

Kotaro looked over at Sokka and saw him working furiously on a huge pile of sand. "Looks like you're not the only ones making sculptures." He pointed over at him, and they walked over to see what he was doing.

"Sokka, what are you making?" Aang asked as they approached. He stepped aside, his chest puffed proudly as he showed them the product of his work.

"Tada!" He said, showing them the pile of sand that he had made with two pieces of driftwood for eyes, seaweed for hair, a starfish for a nose, and a long line of seashells for teeth.

"Is it a… blubbering blob monster?" Kotaro asked.

"No! It's Suki!" Sokka said, stomping his foot down angrily.

There was only a short pause before everyone burst out laughing at the sight of the poorly-made sculpture.

"Suki, we'll all understand if you break up with him over this." Toph said through her giggles.

"I think it's sweet." Suki replied. Sokka ran over to her and planted a kiss on her cheek, and she giggled again. Kotaro saw this and turned to Hoshiko.

"Would you ever want me to make a sand-sculpture of you?" He asked.

"No. I'm fine with you just being here." She replied, "Besides, we both know that art isn't exactly your forte."

Kotaro shrugged, "True enough."

Aang walked over to the sand Suki, "But, it doesn't even look like-" He was cut off when a blast of fire destroyed the sand sculpture. He looked up and saw Zuko coming towards them, blasting fire from his knuckles. Aang ran to get some cover behind his Appa sculpture, and Zuko followed him.

"What are you _doing?_!" Aang shouted at him.

"Teaching you a lesson!" Zuko shouted back, sending a slash of fire at him. Aang easily maneuvered away from his attacks, leaping up on the rocks. Zuko was quick to climb up after him.

"What in the world…?" Hoshiko muttered as she saw the two of them run off.

Katara rode up to the shore, seeing that things had significantly changed from a moment ago. "What happened?" She asked.

"Zuko's gone crazy!" Sokka said as he tried to put his sculpture back together, "I made a sand sculpture of Suki, and he destroyed it!" As an afterthought, he added, "Oh, and he's attacking Aang."

Suki grabbed him as they all ran to the beach house, they could see one of the trees in the front of the house had been burnt already, and they saw Aang and Zuko on the roof of the house.

"Get a grip before I blast you off this roof!" Aang shouted at him.

"Go ahead and do it!" Zuko challenged, blasting fire at him. Aang fled, jumping down into the house, and Zuko blasted through the roof to get to him. He chased Aang down a hallway and sent a flaring circle of fire down the hall, enveloping everything. Aang was very close to getting burned, but he spun and put out a section of the hallway to stand in with air bending. His eyes blazed with the reflection of the flames around him.

"_Enough_!" Aang shouted, using his air bending to blast Zuko out of the house and into the trees just as the others managed to catch up to them. Zuko let out a small groan as he pushed himself up as Aang came down to join them,

"What's _wrong_ with you?!" Katara exclaimed angrily, "You could have hurt Aang!"

"What's wrong with _me_?" Zuko began, turning to her, "What's wrong with all of _you?_! How can you sit around having beach parties when Sozin's comet is only three days away?!" No one said anything and Zuko looked around at them, "Why are you all looking at me like I'm crazy?"

"About Sozin's comet…" Aang began, stepping forward, "I was actually gonna wait to fight the Fire Lord after it came."

"After?" Zuko repeated.

"I'm not ready." Aang said, "I need more time to master fire bending."

"And frankly, your earth bending could still use some work, too." Toph piped up.

"So… you all knew Aang was gonna wait?" Zuko asked.

"Honestly, if Aang tries to fight the Fire Lord right now, he's gonna lose." Sokka said, Aang scowled at him a little over his shoulder and he raised up his hands defensively, "No offense."

"And nobody thought to tell me?" Zuko asked them.

"Well _someone_ was supposed to." Hoshiko said, giving Kotaro a pointed look. He shrugged at her.

"What? I just forgot, okay? Sorry." He said to her.

"The whole point of fighting the Fire Lord before the comet was to stop the Fire Nation from winning the war." Katara said, "But they pretty much won the war when they took Ba-Sing-Se. Things can't get any worse."

"You're wrong." Zuko said, "Things are about to get worse than you could even imagine." He sighed, "The day before the eclipse, my father asked me to attend an important war meeting. It was what I dreamed about and wanted for so many years. My father had finally accepted me back." He turned to Hoshiko, "Kagemi was there, too. Do you remember any of it?"

Hoshiko held a hand to her head, trying to think, "Um… it's still a little fuzzy…"

She tried harder to remember as Zuko continued speaking.

* * *

Zuko walked into the war room, dressed in his finest clothes for the meeting. Azula sat at Ozai's left hand, and Kagemi just a few feet away at the foot of the stairs.

"Welcome, Prince Zuko." Ozai greeted him, "We waited for you." Zuko walked past the important generals in his father's army, all of them watching as he walked up to take the seat at his father's right hand. Once he was comfortable, Ozai turned his attention to his generals. "General Shaino, your report."

"Thank you, sir." Shaino said, standing. "Ba-Sing-Se is still under our control. However, earth bender rebellions have prevented us from achieving total victory in the Earth Kingdom." Ozai's brow furrowed unhappily at the news.

"Surprise, surprise…" Kagemi muttered quietly to herself, rolling her eyes. No one seemed to hear her.

"What is your recommendation?" Ozai asked.

"Our army is spread too thin." Shaino said, "But once the eclipse is over, and the invasion defeated, we should transfer more domestic forces into the Earth Kingdom."

Ozai let out a thoughtful hum and turned to his son, "Prince Zuko, you've been among the Earth Kingdom commoners. Do you think that adding more troops will stop these rebellions?" Kagemi turned to Zuko as well, wondering just what he would say.

"The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong." Zuko began, "They can endure anything as long as they have hope." Kagemi's eyebrows rose slightly, surprised at his answer.

"Yes, you're right." Ozai said, he scowled, "We need to destroy their hope." Zuko and Kagemi looked to the Fire Lord with wide eyes. Zuko tried to explain his meaning, thinking his father didn't quite understand.

"Well, that's not exactly what I-"

Azula interrupted him, "_I_ think you should take their precious hope, _and_ the rest of their land, and burn it all to the ground." Kagemi looked to the princess, her eyes giving away just how much hatred she felt in that single moment.

"Yes… Yes, you're right, Azula." Ozai said, he stood up from his throne and walked through the room, "Sozin's comet is almost upon us, and on that day will endow us with the strength and power of a hundred suns. No bender will stand a chance against us."

"What are you suggesting, sir?" Shaino asked.

"When the comet last came, my grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, used it to wipe out the air nomads;" Ozai began, "Now I will use its power to end the Earth Kingdom. Permanently!" Zuko's eyes widened, as did Kagemi's. Ozai walked onto the huge map of the Earth Kingdom as he continued to speak, "From our airships, we will rain fire over their lands. A fire that will destroy _everything_." Kagemi growled angrily and stood up, her fists clenching as she glared at the Fire Lord. Azula made a motion for her to sit, and she did so grudgingly. "And out of the ashes, a _new_ world will be born. A world in which _all_ the lands are Fire Nation, and _I_ am the supreme ruler of everything!" The generals in the room applauded him for his plan. Zuko and Kagemi sat silently, Zuko shamefully looking down at the floor, and Kagemi doing everything she could to hold herself back from killing him.

* * *

"I wanted to speak out against his horrifying plan," Zuko said, breaking Hoshiko out of her sudden flashback, "But I'm ashamed to say I didn't. My whole life I struggled to gain my father's love and acceptance, but once I had it, I realized I lost myself getting there. I'd forgotten who I was."

Katara's legs gave out and she knelt on the ground, unable to believe what she had just heard. "I can't believe this…" She said. Everyone else felt the same, all unable to move or speak out of shock. The only difference between them and Katara was that they weren't on their knees.

"I always knew the Fire Lord was a bad guy, but… his plan is just pure evil." Sokka said.

"What am I gonna do?" Aang asked. Zuko walked over to him.

"I know you're scared," He began, "And I know you're not ready to save the world, but if you don't defeat the Fire Lord before the comet comes, there won't be a world to save anymore."

"Why didn't you tell us about your father's insane plan sooner?!" Kotaro shouted angrily at Zuko. He turned to him.

"I didn't think I'd have to!" He replied, "I assumed Aang was still going to fight him before the comet. No one _told_ me he decided to wait!" Aang walked away from the group, holding his head in his hands.

"This is bad." He said, "This is really, _really_ bad." Katara walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Aang, you don't have to do this alone." She said, the others coming over to the young avatar as well.

"Yeah! If we all fight the Fire Lord together, we got a shot at taking him down!" Toph said.

"We're all here for you." Hoshiko said.

"All right!" Sokka shouted happily, "Team Avatar is back!" He pointed to Aang, "Air," He pointed to Katara, "Water," He pointed to Toph, "Earth," He pointed to Zuko, "Fire," He pointed to Hoshiko, "Shadow," He pointed to Kotaro, "Lightning," He grabbed two leaves and put the long one in his hand and put the other fan-like one in Suki's, "Fan and Sword!"

"Fighting the Fire Lord is gonna be the hardest thing we've ever done together," Aang said, he smiled at them, "But I wouldn't wanna do it any other way." Everyone else gathered around the monk, forming a group hug. Zuko stayed out of it, letting the others have their moment. Hoshiko noticed this and called him over.

"Get over here, Zuko. Being part of the group also means being part of group hugs." She said.

"Whether you like it or not." Kotaro added. Zuko rolled his eyes but came over to join them, stepping in between the Shinjun couple, giving them a genuine smile. With a rumble, Appa butted his head into the hug and knocked everyone over. They fell on top of each other, laughing, as Momo skittered across their heads.

* * *

Hoshiko looked over the calendar, the day of the comet seeming to loom closer and closer with each passing minute. She sighed and tossed the calendar over to the other side of the room, putting her head down on the bed. She hated that this was going to happen so soon. Back in Ba-Sing-Se, it had seemed like it was so far away, they had months to prepare for it. To her, that wasn't so long ago. She didn't have much memory of the time Kagemi was in control, except for the few times she managed to break past her defenses. Everything else was like a blurry dream, and she didn't remember all of it. So it was only as if she had slept through all that time. Now that the day was so close, she couldn't help but feel a little scared. _It's war_, she thought, _lots of people are scared_. Yes, scared of what might happen to them because of the war, not scared of taking part in it! Even then, they were soldiers, seasoned for battle and ready to go. She wasn't a soldier, she wasn't ready to fight on such a massive scale, and she sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to that.

She looked up from the bed and saw Kotaro leaning against the frame of the doorway. "How long have you been standing there?" She asked him.

"Long enough to know you're not happy." He said, moving away from the doorway and coming over to sit beside her on the bed, "And I think I know why, too." Hoshiko glared at the calendar and sighed, rolling over onto her back, looking up at Kotaro. "You're not the only one worried about the comet."

"I know." She sighed, "It's just… It seems like our time in Ba-Sing-Se was such a short time ago. Now it just feels like the comet snuck up and decided to show up early just to mess with us." She reached up and put her hand to her forehead, "Maybe I'd be more prepared for it if I hadn't been so stupid and let Kagemi just stay in there."

"Don't beat yourself up about that." Kotaro said, reaching over and grabbing her hand. "You couldn't have known that Kagemi would have lost, and you couldn't have known the results for it. Do you honestly think you would be happy if she was still around? Still talking to you and whispering in your ear?" Hoshiko sighed and shook her head.

"No, I don't want that." She said, she tightened her grip on Kotaro's hand, "It's just… whenever the battles got really tough, I'd let her take over. She's always fought my hardest battles because she had that… resolve, you know? She was able to kill a hundred guys at once and not feel anything. I can't do that. I always tuned myself out to that, and I didn't want to look at what she had done." She closed her eyes and sighed, "I'm not a warrior. I'm a bender, yes, and I can fight, but that doesn't mean I _want_ to." She opened her eyes when she felt her hand being moved and Kotaro held it in his both of his hands, letting it rest as if it were a baby bird.

"Hoshiko, I know you're not a great warrior." He said, "But I didn't become your _hanbun tamashi_ because you were born to be a soldier. I became your _hanbun tamashi_ so I could be with you for all time. So that no matter where we were, or what we'd do, we'd always have that connection, so I would never feel like I was without you." She blushed a little at his words, and she noticed he was flushing a little as well. "Hoshiko, I love you, not because of how you can fight, but because of who you are. I don't care if you're a fighter or not, and I know that a battle like this seems daunting. It's the same for the rest of us. It's going to be the biggest and greatest fight of all our lives, and it's going to be the most important." He grasped her hand a little tighter, "I don't want to lose you in this fight, and if you would rather stay out of it, I can understand that, and we can find somewhere safe for you to hide out if that's really what you want. But I know that you're strong, stronger than you think you are, and I know that you can fight in this battle. And if something happens to you, and you start falling, I'll be right there behind you to catch you."

"…Promise?" Hoshiko asked quietly. Kotaro smiled and kissed her fingers.

"I promise." He said, he bent down and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss, which she was happy to return. She wrapped her arms around his neck, accidentally throwing him a little off balance and making him fall on top of her, his head landing on her chest. They both laughed a little at his stumbling before Kotaro moved to make himself more comfortable, the both of them lying on their sides, holding each other.

"I love you, too." She murmured to him before they shared another kiss.

* * *

Kotaro went out to the porch of the house, looking out at the beach that lay just down the path of the house. He could hear the waves crashing against the shore, and the wind that seemed to always be at the beach flowed through his white locks. He looked up when he heard the wood of the porch creaking and saw Sokka standing in the entrance way.

"Hey." He greeted, walking to stand beside him.

"Hey." Kotaro returned, resting his arms on the railing of the porch.

"You doing alright?" Sokka asked, Kotaro shrugged.

"Yeah. Just thinking." He replied. Sokka nodded in understanding. There was a pause of silence before Kotaro spoke up again, "Can I ask you something, Sokka?"

"Sure." Sokka said.

Kotaro hesitated in speaking, "I… Um… Do you… There's…" He sighed, running his fingers through his hair, "The battle during Sozin's comet… it's going to be really big isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah." Sokka said, his tone pointing out that it was pretty obvious.

"And… there's a chance we won't all make it back, right?" Kotaro asked him. Sokka raised a curious eyebrow.

"Yeah…" He said slowly.

Kotaro looked around them to make sure no one else was listening to them, and he looked back to Sokka and said in a quiet voice, "Do you think it's a good idea if Hoshiko and I get married before then?"

"_WHAT?_!" Sokka shouted in surprise, Kotaro quickly shushed him.

"_Shut up_! You want the entire island to hear you?" He hissed.

"You're going to propose?" Sokka asked, his voice much quieter than before.

"Well, it's not like I have a betrothal necklace or anything," Kotaro began, "But… I just…" He huffed out a breath, "I just want us to be together, and I… It's a big battle! One of us could die, and we're both of marrying age, so…" He sighed again, moving to rest his head in his hands.

Sokka paused, thinking about it for a minute, "Well…I can see where you're coming from, but don't you think it's a little rushed?"

"I've been in love with her since we were children." Kotaro said dryly, "I'm pretty sure it's not_ that_ rushed."

"Point taken." Sokka relented, "But who would we get to perform the ceremony? It's not like we can walk up to some official and ask, 'Hey can you marry these two people?' I mean, we're on Ember Island, which is Fire Nation territory. They probably respect your people here as much as they do anywhere else."

"Good point." Kotaro said. He thought for a moment, "What if… What if we got Zuko to perform the ceremony? I mean, he's Fire Nation royalty, he's an official. He could do it."

"You think he'll _want_ to?" Sokka asked. Kotaro grimaced a little.

"Another good point." He said. He sighed, "Maybe… I should wait until the war is over."

"That's probably for the best." Sokka said, "Things should start calming down after that, and then a wedding would be perfect." Kotaro nodded.

"I suppose so." He said, moving away from the railing, "Thanks for the input, Sokka."

"No problem." Sokka replied, "Oh, and before you go, you get a couple extra copper pieces?"

Kotaro raised his eyebrow at Sokka, "Why?"

"I need a melon to make a fake Melon Lord so we can practice fighting the real deal." Sokka said.

Kotaro looked at him oddly, but shrugged his shoulders and pulled a few copper pieces out of his pocket, "That has to be the most random answer I've ever heard to any question ever."

Sokka scoffed as he took the money from him, "You and I haven't hung out enough." He walked away from the Shinjun and he in turn headed towards the courtyard, where he found Hoshiko and Katara watching Aang and Zuko training together. He came down beside her and kissed her cheek in greeting. She smiled and took his hand in hers once he was comfortable.

"There's one technique you need to know before facing my father." Zuko said, beginning another lesson, "How to redirect lightning." Aang's face lit up a little in excitement at the idea, and Kotaro's interest became piqued. He watched as Zuko demonstrated the motion of the technique, "If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it. You turn your opponent's energy against them."

"That's like water bending!" Aang exclaimed, knowing the fighting style of water bending and recognizing the motions.

"Exactly." Zuko said, "My uncle invented this technique himself by studying water benders." Aang followed along with the motions, getting it right away. He practiced the motion a couple times.

"I didn't know it was possible to redirect lightning." Kotaro said as he watched them perform the motions.

"It took my uncle a while to perfect it." Zuko said, "The key is making sure that the lightning flows through your stomach, and not your chest. The stomach is where all the energy in your body is made. If it goes through your chest, the lightning could hit your heart, and it could kill you."

"So… have you ever redirected lightning before?" Aang asked.

"Once. Against my father." Zuko said.

"What did it feel like?" Aang asked.

Zuko stopped performing the motions and faced Aang, "Exhilarating, but terrifying. You feel so powerful holding that much energy in your body, but you know if you make the wrong move, it's over."

"Well, not _over_ over." Aang said, "I mean, there's always Katara and a little spirit water action, am I right?" He looked over at Katara.

"Actually, I used it all up after Azula shot you." She said.

"Oh." Aang replied, his shoulders slumping.

"You'll have to take the Fire Lord's life before he takes yours." Zuko said. Aang grimaced to himself as Zuko walked away, their lessons done for now.

"Yeah… I'll just… do that." Aang said quietly.

* * *

"Gather round, Team Avatar." Sokka said as he pushed down the melon he had carved up to look like a face down on a scarecrow body. "In order to take out the Fire Lord, or in this case, the Melon Lord, our timing has to be perfect." He knelt down on the ground, drawing out their plan of attack in the dirt. "First, Suki and I will draw his fire. Then Katara, Zuko, and Kotaro will charge in with some liquidy-hot offense, and while the Melon Lord is distracted, Aang swoops in and _bam!_ He delivers the final blow."

"Uh, what about us?" Toph asked, pointing at her and Hoshiko.

"For now, you guys are the Melon Lord's forces." Sokka said.

"So I get to chuck flaming rocks at all of you?" Toph asked.

"Whatever makes the training feel more realistic." Sokka replied.

"Sweetness." Toph said with a grin.

"Sokka, as much as I _love_ to burst your bubble," Hoshiko began, making Sokka frown, "This plan only works if Ozai is alone."

"I know that." Sokka said, "If he's not alone, then our top priority is to get him alone."

"And while you take on his guards, he'll escape." Hoshiko said.

Sokka frowned, "You just _adore_ bursting my bubble, don't you?"

"My father's never really appreciated guards, and he prefers working alone." Zuko said, "Plus, he thinks he's going to be the 'supreme ruler of everything.' He'll think he can do anything. I doubt he'll have people protecting him, or run from a fight. There's a very good chance we'll have the opportunity to fight him alone."

Hoshiko nodded, satisfied, and she and Toph stood up, going to get the huge boulders ready for training as the others went to find a place to get started. After lighting up all the sources that would set the rocks on fire, Toph was more than ready to start the training, and she even let out an evil laugh, "Mwa, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" Hoshiko rolled her eyes at her enthusiasm, but she did so with a smile on her face.

Down below, Sokka made the signal for them to go, and they all started moving. Suki and Sokka headed straight for Toph while Katara, Zuko, and Kotaro curved around at her. Hoshiko used her shadow bending to create some fake soldiers, all of them an inky black color, with two holes punched through at the top for their eyes. She had them move towards Sokka and Suki, and they fought their way through them. Toph threw a flaming boulder at them next, and Suki easily jumped over it, while Sokka tumbled back, not comfortable with the close proximity between him and the fiery rock's landing spot. He stood back up and angrily hollered, "Watch it, Toph!"

"I am not Toph!" She hollered back, "I AM MELON LORD! MWA, HA, HA, HA, HA!" She lit another boulder and sent it off to where Katara, Zuko, and Kotaro were.

"Well, at least you're having fun." Hoshiko said, though she was a little worried she might actually hurt someone in this training.

When the boulder landed, Zuko and Katara swerved to avoid it, while Kotaro blasted through the rock with lightning and kept running. Hoshiko had some of her shadow guards come in and surround the three of them, and they easily bended their way through the inky shadows.

"Now, Aang!" Sokka shouted as they all ran towards the Melon Lord. Aang leapt off a rock, his staff in his hands, ready to take down the scarecrow, but he stopped and landed beside it instead without doing anything.

"What are you waiting for?!" Zuko shouted at him, "Take him out!"

"I can't." Aang replied, shaking his head. Sokka, a little peeved Aang hadn't done as he had instructed, marched up in front of him.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked, pointing an accusing finger in his face, "If this was the real deal, you'd have been shot full of lightning right now!"

"I'm sorry!" Aang said, "But it just didn't feel right. I didn't feel like… myself." Sokka raised a dubious eyebrow and took out his sword, chopping off part of the Melon Lord's head.

"There," He growled, "_That's_ how it's done." The melon piece fell to the ground and Momo started happily eating the pinkish insides as Aang hung his head. He walked away from them and Sokka watched him leave with a frown.

"So… does this mean fun-flaming-rock-chucking-time is over?" Toph asked.

"It was practice." Sokka said, "And you got _way_ too into it! You almost killed me back there!"

"Hey, you wanted it realistic, so I gave you realistic!" Toph shot back.

"Well, to be honest, I don't really think this training is what Aang needs." Hoshiko said, coming over to the group. "He's still a child. He needs to deal with the fact that he's going to take the Fire Lord's life. It's a hard thing for him to deal with, especially since he grew up with monks. We need to give him some time."

"So… no more rocks?" Toph asked again. Kotaro sighed and put his hand around the girl's shoulders.

"I'll attack you so you have an excuse to chuck them at something." He said, Toph let out a cheer and went back over to the rocks as Kotaro headed back down to get ready. Hoshiko stayed behind to watch how things went as the others went back to the beach house.

* * *

That night, everyone gathered outside in the warm night air for dinner. Suki had made dinner tonight, and she had made a good meal of rice, cooked vegetables, and meat. Everyone was seated comfortably together, but Aang sat further away, looking down at his food without touching it.

Katara came bouncing up happily to the group, holding a rolled up scroll, "I have a surprise for everyone!" She said in a sing-song voice, "I was looking for cooking pots in the attic, and I found _this_!" She unrolled the scroll to reveal a picture of an adorable dark-headed little baby playing in the sand.

"Lookit baby Zuko! Isn't he _cute_?" She cooed. Everyone laughed at the picture, the girls all letting out a small chorus of 'Aww…' minus Toph.

Zuko looked at the portrait with a dark expression.

"Oh, lighten up. I'm just teasing." Katara said to him when she saw his face.

"That's not me." Zuko said, "It's my father."

The humor in the air suddenly died.

"But… he looks so sweet and innocent." Suki said, pointing to the portrait as Katara rolled it back up, suddenly uncomfortable looking at it.

"Well that sweet little kid grew up to be a monster." Zuko said, "And the worst father in the history of fathers."

"But he's still a human being." Aang said.

"You're going to defend him?" Zuko asked, his voice hard. Aang got up from where he had been sitting.

"No," He said, turning to face them, "I agree with you. Fire Lord Ozai is a horrible person, and the world would probably be better off without him. There's gotta be another way."

"Like what?" Zuko asked.

"I don't know." Aang's face suddenly lit up when he had an idea, "Maybe we can make some big pots of glue, and then I could use glue bending to stick his arms and legs together so he can't bend anymore!"

"Yeah," Kotaro began, playing along, "And then you can show him all those baby pictures and all those happy memories will turn him into a good guy!" The others held in their laughs at his words.

"Do you really think that would work?" Aang asked excitedly.

"No!" He snapped.

Aang deflated and sighed as he began to pace. "This goes against everything I've learned from the monks. I can't just go around wiping out people I don't like!"

"Sure you can!" Sokka said, "You're the avatar. If it's in the name of keeping balance, I'm pretty sure the universe will forgive you."

Aang turned around, suddenly furious, "This isn't a joke, Sokka! None of you understands the position I'm in!"

"Aang, we do understand, it's just-" Katara was interrupted.

"Just _what_, Katara? _What?_!" Aang growled.

"We're trying to help!" She snapped back.

"Then when you figure out a way for me to beat the Fire Lord without taking I'd _love_ to hear it!" Aang shouted before storming away from them.

"Aang! Don't walk away from this!" Katara started to go after him, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Let him go." Hoshiko said, "He needs time to figure it out on his own." Katara huffed out a sigh, not happy with the idea of leaving him alone, "He has a point. None of us can really understand the weight on his shoulders because it's not on ours. Nothing we say to him can help him in this."

"Besides, I'm sure if you check on him later, he'll have calmed down, and he'll want to talk to you about it soon enough." Suki said. Katara nodded, relenting and sat down to eat her meal.

* * *

_Hoshiko was walking through a white void. She couldn't see much of anything. In the distance, she saw someone's figure. She walked towards them, but stepped back when she began to recognize the dark form._

_ It was Kagemi, but she was different somehow. Her body used to be a dark, inky blackness that blended into the darkness around her. The darkness of Hoshiko's mind was her home, but now, in this white void, she could see her feet for the first time. Her body seemed frailer, and dirty, she reminded Hoshiko of a sick child. She could see parts of Kagemi's dark body falling off of her and landing in a small, greyish-black circle around her. She looked up at Hoshiko from where she was sitting, her eyes still dark, but sad._

_ "You're here…" She murmured. She wrapped her arms around herself, "I'm surprised you came, girl."_

_ Hoshiko looked at her in shock, "What happened to you?"_

_ "What do you think?" She snapped, "I'm dying." She showed Hoshiko her hand, and she was surprised to see that where the dark parts of Kagemi's body came off, there was a hole where she could see straight through her into the whiteness she sat on. "You've killed me you know."_

_ "I knew that after the invasion." Hoshiko said. Since she sensed no hostility towards her from the dark being, she sat down, crossing her legs to make herself comfortable._

_ She almost stood back up when a huge pair of gates appeared a few yards away. They were huge, and looked to be made of pure obsidian. They were a pair of gigantic, plain black doors that stood ominously. Hoshiko felt a little fear as she looked at them. Kagemi glared at them, but did nothing more._

_ "What are those?" Hoshiko asked._

_ "The gates to Hell." Kagemi said nonchalantly, "They've been calling to me ever since you cut me off. If I go through them, I'll go to hell for about an eternity or so before I'm reborn again as someone else's_ ni-nin._ Or, I can stay here, and waste away until I no longer exist." She looked down at her hand, watching as her fingers began to fall apart and land on the floor._

_ "No longer exist?" Hoshiko asked, "You mean… you'll no longer be here, there's no chance for you to ever live again."_

_ "I know." She said, "But it's better than the alternative. I have no want to go through millennia after millennia of torture before I'm even applicable to be reborn again." She turned to Hoshiko, "And the chances of that are slim, given my situation."_

_ "What do you mean?" Hoshiko asked._

_ "I lost to you in a battle." She said, "Granted you cheated with some help from outside, but you still won. _Ni-nins_ that lose to their hosts aren't exactly smiled upon." Hoshiko noticed that her body began to wither away faster and faster. "My old man wouldn't be happy with me."_

_ "You have a father?" Hoshiko asked. Kagemi turned to her._

_ "Who do you think made us?" She asked, "Of course we have a father. A spirit of great power created us hundreds of centuries ago, so that we might live on earth as humans do, and take earth in his name. It hasn't come to that yet, but we will rise someday… Or, so I hoped." She sighed, and Hoshiko watched as her legs began to disappear, the pieces of her body floating away on a non-existent wind. She looked up at Hoshiko, "I don't know when, but some day, you will encounter another _ni-nin_, and when you do, they will take your life for my vengeance." She glared at her, "So I'd be careful if I were you." The last parts of her broke away, her eyes closing just before her head came apart and was whisked off in the strange wind._

* * *

Hoshiko woke up, looking at the ceiling of the room she was in. She turned her head and saw Kotaro sleeping soundly beside her. She let out a deep breath, thinking about her unusual dream. But she brushed it off as a dream, and tried to get back to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, everyone packed up their things and got ready to leave. It was best to be ready before facing the Fire Lord and his soldiers, so they decided to head out early and do a little reconnaissance to help figure out a plan.

Sokka grabbed Hoshiko's things last, as she was the last one to finish packing and put it in Appa's saddle.

"Okay, that's everything." He said once he made sure it was secure.

"No it's not." Toph said, "Where's Aang?"

Everyone shared unsure glances and began to search for him, going to different rooms in the house, calling out for him.

"Aang?" Zuko called out as they went towards the room where Aang had been sleeping, "Aang!"

"Come on, Lazy Bones, let's go!" Toph shouted.

They split up and began to look in every room in the house they could get to, all of them opening doors to rooms that hadn't been touched in years, calling out for the young monk without ever receiving a response.

The search ended with them near the balcony where Aang had decided to meditate. Upon arriving, Sokka found Aang's staff leaning against the railing. He went over to it and picked it up as the others came into the room.

"He left his staff." He said, "That's so strange."

"Aang's not in the house." Zuko said as he came in, "Let's check the beach." They headed down to the shore, and Hoshiko lifted up a shadow, making it ten feet tall, and then spread it out on the sand, finding the imprints of Aang's feet heading straight out towards the beach from the balcony.

"Look, there's his footprints!" She said, she followed the pathway to the end, where it stopped at the ocean, "The trail ends there."

"So… he went for a midnight swim and never came back?" Suki asked.

"Maybe he was captured." Katara suggested, looking out at the ocean worriedly.

"I don't think so." Sokka said, examining the footprints, "There's no sign of a struggle."

"I bet he ran away again." Toph said.

"Uh-uh. He left behind his glider and Appa." Sokka said in disagreement.

"Then what do you think happened to him, O Sleuthy One?" Toph asked him.

"It's pretty obvious." Sokka said, "Aang mysteriously disappears before an important battle, he's definitely on a Spirit World journey!"

"If that was the case, wouldn't his body still be here?" Hoshiko asked.

Sokka's confidence deflated, "Oh yeah. Forgot about that."

"Then he has to be somewhere on Ember Island." Kotaro said.

"Let's split up and look for him." Katara suggested.

Toph immediately dashed to Zuko's side and took his arm, the sudden contact making him flush embarrassedly as she exclaimed, "I'm going with Zuko!" Everyone looked at her oddly, wondering why she would give such an eager response. She noticed their silence and said, "What? Everyone else went on a life-changing field trip with Zuko. Now it's my turn!"

"O_kay_ then. Toph and Zuko, you guys should search around the outside of the island." Sokka said, "Katara, you and Suki go into town and see if you can find him. Kotaro, you come with me and we'll take Appa to see if we can find him from a bird's eye view. Hoshiko, you stay here, in case Aang comes back." Everyone nodded when they got their plan, and went to work in searching for Aang.

* * *

Three hours later, Hoshiko watched as everyone came back one after another, empty-handed, saying they couldn't find Aang anywhere. Suki and Katara told of how, when they searched through the city, the closest they came to finding Aang was finding the actress who had played him in 'The Boy in the Iceberg'. Toph and Zuko said they found no signs of the young monk. Soon enough, Sokka and Kotaro returned, the bison's saddle empty of their air bending friend.

"Judging by the looks on your faces I'm guessing you guys didn't find Aang either." Sokka said upon arrival as he and Kotaro got off the bison.

"Nope." Hoshiko said, making a popping noise on the 'p'. "It's like he just… vanished."

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Toph said suddenly, "Has anyone noticed that Momo's missing, too?"

Sokka turned around, suddenly panicked, "Oh, no… I knew it was only a matter of time!" He pried open Appa's mouth and looked inside it as he yelled, "_Appa ATE Momo!_" He moved inside his mouth, "Momo! I'm comin' for ya buddy!"

"Sokka, Appa didn't eat Momo." Katara said dryly, "He's probably with Aang."

"That's _just_ what Appa wants you to think!" Sokka said as he continued to climb inside Appa's mouth, who closed it once he was almost completely in.

"Get out of the bison's mouth, Sokka." Zuko called to him, "We have a real problem here. Aang is nowhere to be found and the comet is only two days away."

"What should we do, Zuko?" Katara asked him as Appa pushed Sokka out of his mouth, covering him in bison saliva.

"I don't know." Zuko said, standing. He noticed how everyone's eyes were on him, staring expectantly, "Why are you all looking at me?"

"Well, you are kinda the expert on tracking Aang." Hoshiko spoke up.

"Yeah, if anyone's got experience hunting the avatar, it's you." Toph agreed.

Zuko frowned, thinking for a moment about what to do.

Kotaro sniffed the air for a moment, and then let out a disgusted groan, covering his nose and mouth with his hand, "Sokka, you reek!"

"I do _not_!" Sokka said, sounding offended, "It's Appa's drool that reeks!"

"Well, either way, go take a bath or something and wash it off." Kotaro said.

"I can't smell anything." Hoshiko said, "It's not _that_ bad."

"Yes, but your sense of smell isn't as strong as mine." Kotaro said.

Zuko's eyes widened for a moment, "Kotaro say that again."

The wolf Shinjun looked up at the prince oddly, "What? Your sense of smell isn't as strong as mine?" He asked.

"Everyone get on the bison." Zuko said, "I know what to do now."

"Can we at least dump Sokka in the ocean before we go?" Kotaro asked, "I'm not sure if I can take the smell of bison spit wherever we're going." Sokka made a face at him immaturely. Katara rolled her eyes and used some water bending to quickly wash off her brother before he got on the bison.

* * *

After about thirty minutes of flying, Hoshiko noticed they were heading eastward. She moved closer to the head where Zuko was sitting and asked, "So, just where _are_ we going, Zuko?"

"We're going to the Earth Kingdom." He replied.

She quirked a curious eyebrow at his answer.

"Zuko," Sokka began, "I don't wanna tell you how to do your job, but why are we heading towards the Earth Kingdom? There's no way Aang's there."

"Just trust me." Zuko said.

Sokka turned back to the others with a confused shrug, and they responded the same way. They didn't say anything more about it and let Zuko continue with his flight.

* * *

They arrived at a relatively rural part of the Earth Kingdom, Zuko landing the bison near an old, dirty looking tavern. As they approached the building, they could hear the sound of drunkards yelling, as well as the sound of glass breaking, as if a fight were going on, while music played in the background.

"And the reason you brought us to a seedy, Earth Kingdom tavern is what now?" Katara asked.

"June." Zuko said, pointing to a dark haired woman with dark make-up and clothing, with a snake tattoo on her arm. She took a swig of a drink while disarming and hurting a man who was about to attack her with only her legs.

"Oh yeah," Sokka said when he saw her, "That weird bounty hunter with the giant mole."

"Mole?" Hoshiko said, she took a good look at the woman, seeing no kind of blemish on her skin at all as she began to skillfully dodge attacks from a second man without spilling her drink, "But her skin is perfect."

"No, she has this giant mole creature she rides around on." Sokka specified.

"A shirshu." Zuko said, "It's the only animal that can track Aang's scent anywhere in the world. It's the one shot we have of finding him."

Before them, the fight continued with June dodging the second man with ease. After a second, she threw her drink up in the air, grabbed the man's arm as he attempted another punch and flipped him over her shoulder, making him land on a table a few feet away. She looked up and easily caught her drink, taking another big gulp.

"Damn." Kotaro said, in awe of her fighting skills.

"I don't know who this June lady is," Toph began, a big grin growing on her face, "But I like her!"

Hoshiko and Kotaro shared a glance, unsure of this technique Zuko had in mind. But, if it didn't help them find Aang, what else could they do?

* * *

**A new chapter! We're getting close to the end. I know there aren't a lot of you guys out there, but I still love every review you give me :)**

**So, I was wondering... Do you guys want this fic to end when the television series ends, or should I add on the parts from the comics The Promise and The Search (When it comes out). Also, do you want to see a sequel to this series for the Legend of Korra?**

**Just a few questions I'd like answered. Other than that, I hope you all have a Happy Halloween with awesome parties and sweet candy! ;)**


	41. Sozin's Comet Part 2: The Old Masters

41

Hoshiko took in the appearance of the bounty hunter, and looked over at Zuko, "So, you hired this girl way back when to attack Aang?"

"Yep." Zuko replied, "Back in the good old days." He walked over to her, the others following him, and she glanced up, scowling when he made an appearance.

"Oh great, it's Prince Pouty." She muttered upon seeing him, she picked up her drink, "Where's your creepy grandpa?"

"He's my uncle." Zuko corrected, "And he's not here." June looked over at Katara and smirked.

"I see you worked things out with your _girlfriend_." She said.

The response from the two was immediate, both Zuko and Katara speaking at once.

"She's _not_ my girlfriend!"  
"I'm _not_ his girlfriend!"

"Okay, okay." June relented, "Sheesh. I was only teasing. So what do you want?"

"I need your help finding the avatar." Zuko said. June paused, pretending to think for a moment.

"No thanks. Doesn't sound too fun." She replied, taking a sip of her drink. Zuko scowled angrily at her.

"Does the end of the world sound like _more_ fun?!" He snapped. June stopped, looking over at Zuko, raising one eyebrow at him.

"It's very important that we find the avatar as soon as possible." Kotaro said, getting her attention, "The world really is at stake here."

"Alright." June said, getting up from her seat, "My shirshu's outside, come on." She walked out the door and the others followed her. When they exited, they saw Appa and the shirshu growling at each other, looking ready to attack. It stopped once Appa licked the huge beast, and it fell to the ground, seeming to be quite comfortable. It turned its head towards them as June approached, holding out a piece of meat, calling out to it sweetly, "Nyla~." She tossed the food to the creature, who easily caught it and chowed down as June approached, petting the head of the eyeless creature, "Who's my little snuffly wuffly? _Whoa_!" Nyla shot out her tongue and June narrowly avoided it before clamping the creature's mouth shut. "Careful!" She turned to the group, "Okay, so who's got something with the avatar's scent on it?"

Katara, who had already climbed up to Appa's saddle, held out Aang's glider, "I have Aang's staff." June took it and presented it to her shirshu, who sniffed it for a minute. Then, it lifted up its head, sniffing around in the air. It moved its head left and right, walking around them in a circle, before lying down and covering its nose with a whimper.

"Well, what does _that_ mean?" Zuko asked, not very pleased with the reaction.

"It means your friend's gone." June replied, coming over and petting the head of her pet comfortingly.

"We know he's gone, that's why we're trying to find him." Toph said.

"No, I mean he's _gone_ gone." June said, standing up, "He doesn't exist."

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances with each other.

"What do you mean Aang doesn't exist?!" Sokka asked, "Do you mean he's… y'know, dead?"

"Nope. We could find him if he were dead." June said. "It's a real head-scratcher. See ya." She started to head back into the tavern to finish her drink.

"Helpful. Real helpful." Toph sighed, crossing her arms.

"Wait!" Zuko called, stopping her. He turned to the others, "I have another idea. There's only one other person in this world who can help us face the Fire Lord." He turned back to June, "I'll be right back with a smell sample." He headed up to the saddle and went through his bag, pulling something out. Once it was free, Kotaro grimaced, putting his hand to his nose once he caught a whiff of the scent, groaning.

"What _is_ that?" He asked as Zuko came down, holding a sandal in his hands. Everyone else, not wanting to smell the item in question, covered their noses as well, except for Toph and Hoshiko, who found that the sandal's scent wasn't very strong and they couldn't really smell it.

"It's my uncle's sandal." Zuko said.

"You saved your uncle's sweaty sandal?!" Sokka asked, before letting out a groan of disgust.

"I think it's kinda sweet of him." Hoshiko said.

June mounted her shirshu and brought it over to the sandal. She sniffed it, getting whatever scent was on it, which was probably a lot. She let out a few snorts once she was done.

"Let's do this." June said, yanking on Nyla's reigns, and they went bounding off, following the scent.

"Hey! Wait up!" Zuko cried, everyone quickly climbing onto Appa and following them. They flew up into the air, carefully keeping up with the surprisingly fast shirshu as it moved across the terrain. Zuko sat at Appa's head, keeping a good hold on his reigns.

Kotaro moved over to the front of saddle, looking down at Zuko, "You really think your uncle can help us defeat the Fire Lord?"

"He taught me everything I know." Zuko said, "He's the best fire bender I know of, and on top of that, he was a general in the Fire Nation army. He has experience in battle, and he knows how the Fire Nation strategies work. I can't think of anyone better to help us bring Ozai down."

Kotaro nodded, taking Zuko's word for it and turning back into the saddle. Hoshiko came by his side and he smiled, putting his arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Do you guys have to be mushy in front of us?" Sokka complained. Hoshiko stuck out her tongue at him immaturely, and he made an equally immature face back at her.

"_We_ never complain when you get mushy with Suki." Kotaro said.

"Yeah, but we're not obnoxious about it." Sokka said.

"Uh, yes you are." Katara said.

"Yeah, you're just as bad as them." Toph agreed.

"We are _not_!" Sokka cried indignantly.

"Then explain why you and Suki are in the same position we are." Hoshiko said, seeing that his arm was around Suki's shoulders and she was resting her head on his shoulder. Sokka compared his position to theirs and sighed, relenting.

"Fine." He muttered, his shoulders slumping. Hoshiko laughed when she saw him pouting.

* * *

Hoshiko's eyes slowly opened and she found she was still lying on Kotaro's shoulder. She looked up to see the sun had risen high in the sky. She had gotten so tired on their little venture in following June, she must have fallen asleep. She looked out over the side of the saddle and saw that the shirshu was still running along the terrain as they went further into the Earth Kingdom.

"We're still going?" She asked.

"Iroh's probably a lot farther away than we originally anticipated." Kotaro said, he moved his arm from her, rotating his shoulder, "You were on me so long my arm fell asleep."

"Sorry." She said, Kotaro smiled at her.

"It's fine. I'm not upset or anything." He said, "I just need a second for blood to flow back into my arm."

"Want some breakfast?" Katara offered her, and Hoshiko nodded, taking the small piece of bread from her, "It's a little stale, sorry."

"Hey, it's better than nothing." Hoshiko said, biting into the bread. "What time is it?"

"About noon." Toph said, "You slept in." Hoshiko huffed out a breath, looking at the piece of bread. Kotaro sensed something was wrong and he looked at her.

"What is it?" He asked, she shook her head.

"It's just… Sozin's Comet comes tomorrow." She said, she reached up and rubbed the back of her neck, "I don't know it just… it seems so strange to think that the world could end tomorrow."

"It _won't_ end." Katara said firmly.

"But it _could_." Hoshiko said, just as firm.

"That's only if Aang doesn't show up." Toph said.

"Or we can't find Uncle." Zuko said. Hoshiko noticed for the first time that he was up in the saddle with them. She turned to see Sokka was the one flying Appa before turning back to the others.

"Either way, it just seems like it's too soon." She said.

"Well, it's happening, no matter how much we don't want it to." Zuko said, "The best thing we can do now is be prepared." Hoshiko nodded in agreement, taking another bite out of the bread. While she did agree with him, she still couldn't help the weight on her shoulders. She felt as if she were Atlas, and she carried the entire world on her shoulders. She knew that kind of responsibility wasn't supposed to be there, but it felt like it was. If Aang didn't come, then they would need to rely on Iroh to help them. Even then, there was still this part of her that was afraid and unsure of what was to come, and she didn't know what they would do if Aang couldn't find them.

* * *

They traveled on into the night, heading straight for what was once the impenetrable wall of Ba-Sing-Se, only now there was a huge hole in it from where the Fire Nation army had invaded.

"We're going to Ba-Sing-Se?" Zuko asked upon seeing the wall. June stopped her shirshu at the wall's boundary.

"Your uncle's somewhere beyond the wall." June said, turning her shirshu around, "Nyla's getting twitchy, so he can't be too far." She gave them a small salute, "Good luck." She whipped Nyla's reigns and she sped off, presumably going back to the tavern where June resided.

Zuko sighed, looking up at the wall. "It's been a long day. Let's camp and start our search again at dawn." Everyone agreed to this and came down from Appa's saddle, stretching their legs as they got their camping equipment. They didn't bother to start a fire for two reasons: one, it was summer and it was plenty warm so they didn't need it, and two, they didn't want any on-patrol Fire Nation soldiers to see them. They probably wouldn't be on patrol on the outer wall, but they probably had lookouts somewhere in the inner rings. In the night, they had a better chance of not being spotted or bothered by them.

As Kotaro went about getting his and Hoshiko's sleeping bags, he saw her looking out towards the northern side of the wall. He tucked both sleeping bags under his arms before going over to her.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

"I'm just worried about my mother." Hoshiko said, she turned to him, "She was probably still in the encampment when the Fire Nation took over Ba-Sing-Se. What do you think they did with it?" Kotaro looked out at the wall, and shook his head.

"I don't know." He replied honestly, "When Xana came with us on the invasion, I didn't think to ask her how things were back at the encampment." He looked over at Hoshiko and saw how concerned she looked, "I'm sure they're fine. We can think about this later. Come on, let's just get ready to sleep." Hoshiko nodded, although she still looked worried.

* * *

Sleep was going peacefully for everyone, until Toph sensed movement on the ground, and she jumped up just as flames encircled the small camp they had made. Everyone was instantly awake and jumped up, ready to fight some fire benders, but found that fire benders weren't the ones that had made the flames. They looked up towards the wall and saw four elderly men dressed in blue and white robes, all of them faces that were recognized by the people in the group.

"Well, look who's here!" An old man with a hunched back and a crazy look in his eyes said with a snorting laugh. Katara and Sokka relaxed when they saw it was Bumi. Hoshiko relaxed when she recognized the face of Pakku among the men, and Kotaro did the same at the sight of Pian-Dao.

A white-haired man with a scar over his eye lowered the flames around the camp as they all came down from the wall to greet them.

"What's going on?" Toph asked, "We're surrounded by old people!"

"Not just any old people," Katara said, "These are great masters and friends of ours." She went up to Pakku and bowed in greeting, "Pakku." He returned the greeting.

"It is respectful to bow to an old master," He began, "But how about a hug for your new grandfather?"

Sokka's jaw dropped and he let out an effeminate noise of shock while Katara grinned widely.

"That's so exciting!" Katara exclaimed, she ran up and embraced the man, "You and Gran Gran must be so happy to have found each other again!"

"I made her a new betrothal necklace and everything." Pakku said. Sokka ran up to the water bending master and embraced him as well.

"Welcome to the family, Gramp Gramp!" He said.

"You can still just call me Pakku." He said, pushing him away with a frown.

"How about… Gramppakku?" Sokka suggested.

"No." He said firmly.

Hoshiko smiled, "I see you're still the same old man I saw last." He smiled at the sight of her and they both bowed to one another in greeting. "You haven't changed a bit."

"And I see that you have found what you were searching for." Pakku commented, looking at Kotaro. Hoshiko smiled at the mention of him. "I can see you've changed since we last met."

"In more ways than you can know." Hoshiko said, her mind reeling at all the experiences she had gone through since she last saw him. She smirked and put her hands on her hips, "Although, I think it's safe to say that Katara and Sokka won't be expecting any new aunts or uncles anytime soon." Pakku frowned at her words.

"I see you still retained your sense of humor." He said dryly.

"Yeah, can't seem to get rid of it." Hoshiko said with a shrug.

Katara pulled Zuko over to the man with the scar over his eye, "And this was Aang's first fire bending teacher." They exchanged bows in greeting.

"Jeong Jeong." He said, introducing himself.

"Master Pian-Dao." Sokka said, bowing to his sword master, who did the same.

"Hello, Sokka." He greeted. He looked up when Kotaro approached him, and they exchanged another bow. "It's good to see you, Kotaro."

"The same for you, sir." He said.

"So, wait," Suki began, "How do you all know each other?"

"All old people know each other," Bumi said, "Don't you know that?" He let out a snorting laugh again.

"We're all part of the same ancient secret society." Pian-Dao said, "A group that transcends the divisions of the four nations."

"The Order of the White Lotus." Zuko said.

"That's the one!" Bumi said.

"The White Lotus has always been about philosophy, and beauty, and truth," Jeong Jeong began, "But about a month ago, a call went out that we were needed for something important."

"It came from a Grand Lotus." Pakku said, he looked to Zuko, "Your uncle, Iroh of the Fire Nation." Zuko smiled.

"Well that's who we're looking for!" Toph said.

"Then we'll take you to him." Pian-Dao said. Bumi pushed between him and Jeong Jeong, his wide green eyes looking around.

"Wait! Someone's missing from your group." He said, "Someone very important." He walked right up to Sokka, getting in his face, "Where's Momo?" Sokka stared at the old man, unnerved by the intensity of his stare.

"He's gone…" He told him, "And so is Aang."

"Oh well," Bumi stepped back with a pleased smile, "As long as they have each other, I'm sure we have nothing to worry about. Let's go!" He slammed his foot down into the earth and shot himself up into the air with a cackle.

"And to think he was Aang's first choice for an earth bending teacher." Hoshiko said, shaking her head at the sight of the old man as he walked past the wall.

"That old looney guy was going to take _my_ job?" Toph asked incredulously.

"From what I understand, he was a friend of Aang's from a hundred years ago." She said with a shrug. They all followed the old masters past the wall and went with them to wherever they were camped.

"So, Bumi," Sokka began, walking behind the old man, "How did you escape your imprisonment in Omashu?"

"Escape?" Bumi asked, bending back a little to look at Sokka upside down, "I didn't escape. Everybody _else_ escaped! There I was back in Omashu, waiting for just the right moment. I didn't know what or when, but I knew I'd know it when I knew it! When I saw the eclipse, I thought, 'An eclipse! That'll do it!' So I busted out of the metal coffin. With no fire power, there was nothing they could do to stop me from taking back my city and enjoying a little _payback time_!" He cackled at the memory of it.

"Wow, you took back your whole city all by yourself!" Suki exclaimed in awe. Bumi nodded.

"So what about you guys?" Bumi asked, "Did you do anything interesting on the day of the eclipse?" Kotaro and Sokka glanced at each other at the mention, and then shrugged their shoulders.

"Nope." Kotaro said.

"No, not really." Sokka said.

Hoshiko quickly walked up to be in-pace with Pakku, "The day that Ba-Sing-Se was taken… there was a Shinjun encampment on the outskirts of the city. Do you know what happened to it?"

He shook his head, "I'm afraid it was destroyed upon their arrival. All of the tents and homes have been turned to ashes." Hoshiko's expression dropped greatly and she looked down at the ground, "But the Shinjuns themselves seemed to survive." She perked up.

"You mean they're okay?" She asked eagerly, "Everyone survived?"

Again, Pakku shook his head, "Some were captured by the Fire Nation and made into slaves, and there were some casualties, but on the whole, they did survive, and they were the ones who offered us shelter here along the outer wall."

Hoshiko sighed in relief at hearing that most of those who were in the encampment had made it out alright. Although, the idea of casualties didn't make her feel much better than she did before.

The group came up to an earth wall, and Bumi bended it away to reveal a gathering of tents where elderly human men were mixing and mingling with the few Shinjuns who were awake this early in the morning.

"Well, here we are." Bumi said, "Welcome to Old People Camp." The area was densely packed with tents, but there seemed to be enough room for everyone.

"Where… Where is he?" Zuko asked quietly.

"Your uncle's in there, Prince Zuko." Pian-Dao said, pointing to a tent that had been erected in the center of the camp. Zuko walked towards it, then stopped, and sat down a few yards away from the entrance. Hoshiko saw this and went over to him.

"Zuko? Is something wrong?" She asked him.

"My uncle hates me, I know it." Zuko said, looking at the entrance, "He loved me and supported me in every way he could, and I still turned against him. How can I even face him?" Hoshiko sat down beside the fire bender.

"You're sorry for what you did, aren't you?" She asked

"More sorry than I've ever been about anything in my entire life." Zuko said.

"Then he'll forgive you." Hoshiko said, "From what I've seen about your uncle, he's a good man. He's not your father. He won't scar you for life for talking out of turn." Zuko's hand went up to his scar at the mention of it, "He loves you. A lot. If you're as sorry as you say, I know he'll forgive you." Zuko stood back up and went to the entrance, taking a deep breath before going inside. Hoshiko stood back up and looked back at the others, who were being directed towards extra tents for them to sleep in for the rest of the night. She recognized one of the avian Shinjuns directing them.

"Chief Iguru!" She said upon seeing him. She went up to greet him, and Kotaro came up beside her. "I'm glad to see you're okay."

"As I am to see you." He said, "How have you fared since we last met?"

"Well enough." Hoshiko said with a shrug. "I was wondering… you were in the encampment the day it was destroyed, right?" He nodded solemnly, "Could you tell me what happened to my mother?" Iguru's eyes widened at the question, "She was one of the victims in your infirmary. She had bad burns over most of her body."

"Ah… yes, Hikari…" He murmured, he shook his head, "I'm afraid your mother is no longer with us." Hoshiko's eyes widened, "Her life was lost as we attempted to escape. I'm very sorry." Hoshiko's shoulders slumped and her ears dropped. Kotaro came by her side, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Thank you for telling us, Iguru." He said, "How many died?"

"I'm afraid it was mostly invalids who lost their lives." Iguru said, "About twelve or thirteen."

"Any children?" Kotaro asked.

"By Shinjuko's will, they all survived." Iguru said, "I'm sorry about your loss, Hoshiko."

She only nodded in response.

Kotaro bid the chief goodbye and walked by Hoshiko's side to the tent they had been given. She was silent the entire time, and when they arrived, she just put out her sleeping bag and lay down. Kotaro lay down next to her, putting his arm around her waist and kissing the back of her shoulder. When he saw her shoulders shaking, he turned her towards her toward him and let her cry in his arms, keeping her close. He didn't offer her any words of comfort, because he knew they would just be empty words to her. All he did was be silent as she cried, staying up as long as she was awake until she tired herself out and fell asleep. Kotaro wiped away some lingering tears from her cheek before he pressed a soft kiss to it, falling asleep with her in his arms.

* * *

The next morning, the couple was awoken by the sound of a horn, signaling that now was the time to get up. Kotaro looked worriedly at Hoshiko, who rubbed her eyes tiredly as she sat up.

"Are you going to be okay?" Kotaro asked her.

She nodded, "I've… dealt with the idea of losing my mother before. I'll be okay." She turned to him, "Besides, today isn't exactly the best day to mourn my mother."

Kotaro's mouth set into a grim line at the idea. Sozin's Comet was today. This was the day they were going to go to war. He took her hand in his.

"No matter what happens today," He began, "I won't leave your side." She smiled and linked her fingers through his.

"I won't leave yours either." She promised, "Our souls are entwined, remember? As long as we both live, we'll always be together." Kotaro smiled and kissed her cheek.

"When this has passed, we'll hold a proper ceremony for your mother." Kotaro said, Hoshiko smiled gently and nodded, kissing him.

They walked out of the tent to join the others for breakfast. Now that the camp was awake, they could see a great mix of men from the Order of the White Lotus and the Shinjuns going about their days. Kids were running around, playing happily, and families were enjoying each other's company. Some of them were talking casually with the humans, and Hoshiko couldn't help but notice how well Jeong Jeong, the fire bender, got along with them so well. It made her happy to know that the people of the Order were willing to look past differences to be with those they care about. When they came to Sokka, Suki, Katara, and Toph, they noticed that Sokka had changed into a suit of Water Tribe armor in preparation of the comet.

They were soon joined by Zuko and Iroh, both of them looking content. Hoshiko smiled when she saw that they had reconciled and everyone went to greet the man.

"It's good to see you again, Iroh." Hoshiko said, coming over to him. "You look great."

"I've worked off a little weight." He chuckled, patting his stomach, "But I intend to put it back on once this is over." Hoshiko laughed a little, "And I see that you have regained control." She nodded.

"Yes, as well as attained the power she had." She said. She held up a small ball of shadow to demonstrate, "It wasn't easy, but I got the hang of it after a while." She got rid of it as Iroh nodded knowingly.

"There is much to be done today, and we will need all of our strength." He said.

Hoshiko grimaced, "Yes… today…"

"Don't worry about it." Sokka said, putting his hand on her shoulder, raising his fist with a grin, "We kick ass!"

An old man shuffling by them "ahem"ed at him.

"Oh, sorry. We kick _butt_!" Sokka said. He smelled food and grinned widely, "Ooh, breakfast!" He dashed over to where the food, which was just porridge, was being served to everyone. They all got their share and sat in a circle on the grass.

"Uncle, you're the only person other than the avatar who could possibly defeat the Father Lord." Zuko said as they ate.

Everyone looked at him oddly when they heard him speak.

"You mean the Fire Lord." Toph corrected.

"That's what I just said!" Zuko snapped.

Iroh let out a thoughtful hum.

"We need you to come with us!" Zuko insisted.

"No, Zuko." Iroh said, "It won't turn out well."

"You can beat him." Zuko said, "And we'll be there to help."

"Even if I did defeat Ozai," Iroh began gently, "And I don't know if I could, it would be the wrong way to end the war. History would just see it as more senseless violence. A brother killing a brother to grab power. The only way for this war to end peacefully is for the avatar to defeat the Fire Lord."

"And then… Then would you come and take your rightful place on the throne?" Zuko asked.

"No. Someone new must take the throne." Iroh said, "An idealist with a pure heart and unquestionable honor. It has to be _you_, Prince Zuko." Zuko's eyes widened.

"Unquestionable honor?" He repeated, "But I've made so many mistakes."

"Yes, you have." Iroh agreed, "You struggled, you suffered, but you have always followed your own path. You restored your own honor, and only _you_ can restore the honor of the Fire Nation."

"…I'll try, Uncle." Zuko murmured.

"But what if Aang doesn't return?" Kotaro asked.

"Sozin's Comet is arriving, and our destinies are upon us." Iroh said, "Aang _will_ face the Fire Lord. When I was a boy, I had a vision that I would one day take Ba-Sing-Se. Only _now_ do I see that my destiny is to take it _back_ from the Fire Nation so the Earth Kingdom can be free again."

"That's why you gathered the members of the White Lotus." Suki said.

"Yes." Iroh nodded, "I could not face _them_ alone, so I called for friends."

"Who's 'them'?" Katara asked.

"Colonel Mongke and the Rough Rhino brigade." Iroh said. Hoshiko instantly put all of her attention on the man, "They were sent to the Earth Kingdom to watch over the conquered land. We will fight against them, and the army that they have gathered."

"And I'll go, too." Hoshiko said, making everyone turn to her with wide eyes. "I'm going with you to Ba-Sing-Se."

"It's not safe." Iroh said.

"The colonel and I have a score to settle." Hoshiko growled, her eyes darkening at the memory of him, "At the very least I can take part in putting his army down." Iroh stared at her for a moment, seeing the determination in her eyes, and nodded once, giving consent for her to join them.

"If she goes, I go." Kotaro said, "I made the mistake of leaving her to fight on her own in Ba-Sing-Se. I won't make that mistake again." Again Iroh nodded his consent.

He turned to his nephew, "Zuko, you must return to the Fire Nation so that when the Fire Lord falls, you can assume the throne and restore peace and order. But Azula will be there, waiting for you."

Zuko scowled at the mention of his sister, "I can handle Azula."

"Not alone." Iroh said firmly, "You'll need help."

"You're right." Zuko turned to look at his water bending friend, "Katara, how would you like to help me put Azula in her place?"

"It would be my pleasure." She replied.

"What about us?" Sokka asked, "What's our destiny today?"

"What do _you_ think it is?" Iroh asked him, a wise smile on his face.

Sokka thought for a moment, "I think that… Even though we don't know where Aang is, we need to do everything we can to stop the airship fleet."

"And that means when Aang does face the Fire Lord, we'll be right there if he needs us." Toph said, smacking her fist in her hand. Iroh smiled at her answer.

Immediately, everyone started making plans to leave. Kotaro changed into his dark armor that he had worn the day of the eclipse. Hoshiko was provided leather armor from Chief Iguru to wear when she went to war. It reminded her a little of the armor that Suki had worn when she was in her Kyoshi warrior uniform, only she wasn't wearing a skirt, and it was worn over her normal clothing. They joined the group of White Lotus members, as well as some adult Shinjun warriors, who were going to fight for Ba-Sing-Se.

As Pian-Dao was getting their mode of transportation Hoshiko went over to Sokka, tapping his shoulder to get his attention. When he turned around, she gave him a hug. He was surprised by the sudden gesture, but he returned it nonetheless.

"Good luck." Hoshiko bid.

"You too." Sokka said, they pulled apart, "Come back as _you_ this time, okay?" Hoshiko grinned at him.

"And _you_ come back in one piece." She said. He grinned back at her. Hoshiko gave Suki a similar embrace, wishing her luck as well. For Toph, she simply gave a playful punch to the shoulder.

"Take care of the little warrior for us?" She asked, Toph grinned.

"If you take care of Wolfy." She said. Hoshiko grinned as well.

Pian-Dao returned with a giant eel hound, which kneeled and let Suki and Toph mount it.

"Nothing runs faster over land, or swims quicker than a giant eel hound." Pian-Dao said, he handed Sokka a map, "The airship base is on a small island just off the Earth Kingdom shore. You should be able to intercept the fleet within a day's journey." Sokka put away the map and smiled at his master.

"Thank you Master." He said, they bowed to each other, before Sokka went to hug him. Pian-Dao returned the gesture and Sokka mounted the eel hound as Hoshiko and Kotaro went over to join the group bidding goodbye to Zuko and Katara as they sat on Appa.

Zuko turned to his uncle from where he sat at Appa's head, "So if I'm going to be Fire Lord after the war is over, what are you going to do?"

"After I reconquer Ba-Sing-Se, I'm going to reconquer my tea shop." Iroh said, flipping a lotus tile in his fingers, "And I'm going to play pai-sho every day!" Zuko smiled at him and shook his head, as if he should have known better. He and Katara looked over at the others, and they all bid each other good luck.

"Goodbye General Iroh." Katara said.

"Goodbye everyone." Iroh said, "Today, destiny is our friend. I know it."

And with that, they took off, going to where they believed their destiny was going to be, Kotaro and Hoshiko remaining with the members of the White Lotus. Hoshiko looked out at the horizon, gazing at the blue sky. _Destiny_, the word echoed in her mind. This was the day they had been waiting for. This was the day everything would come together and the fate of the world would be decided.

* * *

**Ta-da! The next chapter!**

**Seriously. I don't really want this to end after the series' episodes end. I want to put in that comic, but that all depends if you guys want it or not. Let me know in a review, please?**


	42. Sozin's Comet Part 3: Into the Inferno

42

Hoshiko looked up in the sky as she saw it begin to darken and change to an orange hue as the comet came into the sky. It looked as though the comet was the sun, and it was falling from the sky to crash into earth. Clouds around the comet separated, as if the comet were a flame that they could not touch for risk of being burned. The light from the sun no longer seemed to matter as the world lit up in a red light from the comet. Kotaro noticed her, and looked up at the comet as well.

"It's here." He said simply, Hoshiko nodded.

"It's… almost beautiful." She said, she looked over at him, "You know, in a world-dooming kind of way."

"Sometimes the most dangerous of threats can be the most beautiful to watch." Jeong Jeong said wisely.

Hoshiko looked ahead of them, seeing the wall of Ba-Sing-Se in the distance. She turned to Kotaro, "Hey, do you have a telescope or something?" He shook his head. One of the nearby masters overheard her and offered theirs. She took it and looked off into the distance to see there were almost no soldiers on the wall, "I don't see any guards."

"They are preparing for Ozai's arrival." Iroh said, "They are evacuating the city before Ozai comes to burn it down."

"Did Zuko tell you his plan?" Kotaro asked as he took the telescope from Hoshiko to see the same thing she had.

"Yes," Iroh shook his head, "To think my brother would think such things…" He sighed.

"It's hard to believe he's your brother." Hoshiko said. Iroh said nothing as the members of the White Lotus stopped, standing on a large area of elevated land that stood a mile outside the wall's limits.

"Ba-Sing-Se, the Order of the White Lotus is here." Bumi said solemnly as he looked at the walls.

"Here to set you free." Pakku said.

Iroh closed his eyes as he stepped out in front of them, concentrating. "Only once in a hundred years can a fire bender experience this kind of power." He took in a deep breath, flames rising up around the land he and the others stood on. When he released the breath, the flames went down. He took in another breath, the flames rising higher than before, and released it again. He did this a few more times until the fire was well concentrated, and Hoshiko worried that he might burn them, until he let out a war cry and shot the flames forward, blasting through the wall of the city, creating an opening. Bumi used his earth bending to move the land beneath them to help get them closer to the walls of the city without wasting too much of their energy. As they approached, it seemed the walls were not completely bare of fire benders as two of them blasted fire balls at them. Iroh easily blocked them before they had a chance to hit them.

Bumi turned to Hoshiko and Kotaro with a crazed grin, "Ready for take-off, kiddies?"

"Take-off?" Kotaro repeated confusedly.

Before they had a chance to question the earth bender further, he used earth bending to shoot them, as well as the other masters up into the air, heading straight for the wall. Hoshiko's limbs flailed about in her sudden flight, but she managed to land safely on the wall. Kotaro's trip was about the same, only he landed safely on top of Hoshiko, pushing them both to the floor of the wall.

"Ow…" Hoshiko groaned. Pakku and Pian-Dao landed just a few yards from them. They watched in awe as Pakku bent up a huge wave of water, from where they didn't know, and send it crashing down to the soldier's below, freezing it around their feet. Pian-Dao slid down the ice and used his sword skills to disarm the stuck soldiers. Pakku followed him down. He saw that there was a Fire Nation tank not too far from them, and was preparing to fire. He unfroze the ice and created an ice shield to block the fire blast, but it wasn't strong enough, and shattered from the intense heat, but he was unharmed. A second blast came, but it was blocked by a fifty-foot wall of roaring fire. Hoshiko and Kotaro looked up to see Jeong Jeong hovering in the air, a strong, but small, stream of fire propelling him to remain in the air as he attacked. From above, he could see all the tanks that had gathered to them in response to the attack. Two more tanks fired at him, and he blocked it with another gigantic wall of flame and managed to push them back with it, creating a huge pile of metal tanks.

"Whoa…" The couple breathed in unison upon seeing the incredible display.

"I guess there's a reason they call them 'Grand Masters'." Kotaro said.

"I'm feeling a little outmatched here." Hoshiko said. Kotaro took her hand in his and she looked at him.

"Hey, as long as we work together, we can take on any enemy." He said. Hoshiko smiled at him.

"I love you." She told him.

"I love you, too." He said. They shared a quick kiss, and Hoshiko released his hand so she could take them both down from the wall and join in the fray. Soldiers surrounded them, and Hoshiko used her shadow bending to knock them all away, and Kotaro did the same with his lightning, which was stronger than usual due to the comet.

A few of the tanks tried to fire at them, and Hoshiko created an inky shadow to block the blasts before sending it towards the tanks, the shadows growing over the metal, and with great concentration, pushing them in and crushing them, but not completely. She made sure to leave enough room inside for the soldiers to breathe. Once it was done, she looked down at her hands, unable to believe she had gotten such power. She smirked and raised her hands, gathering the shadows around her to cover her limbs, torso, and face, until the only thing recognizable was her crystalline blue eyes. She moved on all fours, a shadow panther, with four shadowy tentacles sprouting out of her back. They seemed much thicker than the ones before, and moved more erratically than they used to. A sign of how much power she wielded. She used the four new appendages to easily take out the soldiers that surrounded Kotaro in less than a minute. Once they were gone, he looked over at her and grinned.

"That's a version of you I haven't seen in a long time." He said. Hoshiko only grinned in return. She saw a small orb tumble near his feet, and she recognized it immediately, her shadows reaching out and grabbing him, quickly pulling him away as the grenade exploded. Kotaro looked back and he saw a masked man on an armored komodo rhino. "One of the Rough Rhinos?"

"I'm surprised they responded so quickly." Hoshiko growled out. She used another one of her shadows to knock the explosives expert off of his rhino, and grab his supply in the process. She threw it up in the air, and Kotaro blasted it with lightning, detonating all that had been in the bag at a reasonably safe distance, although it did level the better part of a nearby house. The man himself stood back up, reaching into his pocket to pull out four more grenades and throw them. Hoshiko used the shadows on her body to create a black dome to protect the pair of them as they went off around them. Once it had stopped, she brought them back to her body, making her a panther again, and Kotaro used his lightning to blast the man back into the remains of one of the crumbling houses.

"Care to give me a rundown on the Rhinos?" He asked as he continued to fight back the soldiers.

"That was Yeh-Lu, he's the explosives expert. We got rid of his stash, so we're good for now." Hoshiko said, pushing back more of the soldiers as well, "There's Ogodei and Kahchi, they use melee weapons. Ogodei's got a heavy weight on a chain, and Kahchi uses mostly blades. Fight them at a long distance, and you should be fine. Vachir is a former Yuyan archer with a specialty in flaming arrows, so try and get him before he gets you."

"And Mongke?" Kotaro asked as he blasted back another group of soldiers.

An animalistic growl sounded in Hoshiko's throat, "He's _mine_." Her shadows stuck into the ground before the soldiers, growing into a huge, black puddle around their feet. The puddle grabbed hold of them, and turned back into the shadows they had been before and she yanked them up, tossing them to some unknown part of the city. Kotaro was surprised at her sudden ferocity, but didn't question it. She had told him of how Mongke was once her master and he had seen the burns on her back, he didn't need to know anymore of why she wanted him to go down.

They fought their way through platoon after platoon of soldiers, more of them seeming to appear out of nowhere as they fought.

During the battle, they would occasionally run into other members of the order, who would help them out as much as they could before moving on. The real problem wasn't so much the individual soldiers themselves, but the huge iron tanks that were protecting them. There seemed to be more and more of them coming from every part of the city. Wherever they went, there seemed to be another tank waiting just around the corner to blast you into ashes. The Grand Masters of the order seemed to be able to disarm them easily enough, but others who were not of such a level had a little trouble doing the same. Pakku would freeze the tracks on which the tank would travel, and then use water bending to seep the ice into the metal and pull the tanks apart. Pian-Dao was more occupied with individual soldiers than he was with the tanks, but when he did come in contact with one, he was able to jam shut the windows that allowed the fire benders inside to blast at him with his sword. Jeong Jeong was still able to push them back with a fiery wall, but he never used his fire bending to try and hurt anyone, just keep them away. No one knew where Iroh had gone or how he was handling the battle, but no one questioned it. He was the Dragon of the West; he could handle himself just fine. Bumi seemed to make a game out of it, using earth bending to stack tanks on top of each other and make tank towers.

It wasn't long into the battle that they soon came across another one of the Rough Rhino brigade. Each individual one seemed to be commanding a group of platoons during the battle. The first one they found was Kahchi, who had plenty of soldiers who all carried blade-related weapons. Hoshiko used her shadow bending to easily knock away line after line of soldiers, Kotaro doing the same with his lightning. After a while, they saw that Kahchi was just using the soldiers to go first and tire them out before he had a chance at them. When they realized this, Hoshiko used her shadow bending to push back as many soldiers as she could before charging at Kahchi and knocking him off his rhino. She pinned him under her shadowy paws, and let out a wild roar in his face. Kahchi was stunned by the fact he was suddenly under a dangerous panther, and before he could even try and escape her grasp, she wacked him on the head and knocked him out.

Not too long after him, they found Vachir, who had fewer soldiers than Kahchi, but plenty of archers and arrows. They had to fight him at a distance, and it was difficult for them to get a clear shot at the marksmen, but they were relieved from battle when Pakku came and froze one of his arrows to his bow, rendering it useless. It didn't take much effort afterwards to knock him off the rhino and take out the rest of his soldiers. As the fighting went on, Hoshiko could no longer keep up the shadow panther form, and returned back to herself, using the shadows she had gathered to fight with instead.

Ogodei came charging out of nowhere at them, spinning his chains. He seemed to be alone. Hoshiko and Kotaro did their best to keep a distance from the man as he swung his weapons without haste. More than once, he hit the walls behind the couple's heads when he missed, and used the houses as leverage to fight them, making the space between them and his weapon tighter so he could get a better shot at them. After a good deal of dodging, Hoshiko managed to grab onto his chain before it could hit her, and held it there with her bending. Kotaro used his lightning to zap the metal chain, sending a wave of electrocution through the metal towards Ogodei. He was stunned from the power of it and fell off his rhino.

During the fight, Kotaro and Hoshiko ran off, trying to find somewhere quiet. They weren't abandoning the battle. They were young, and had plenty of energy, but they didn't have enough to fight off so many soldiers. They needed a break. They managed to find an empty house and moved against the walls so they could be hidden as they rested. Their chests heaved as they took in breath after breath of air. After a moment of silence, the couple looked at each other, and shared a small smile.

"How're you holding up?" Hoshiko whispered to him.

"Okay." He said, "And you?"

"Same as you." She said. They joined their hands together. "You haven't left my side since we started fighting."

"And I don't intend to." Kotaro said, "I promised I'd stay with you, and I will." Hoshiko nodded, but she had a solemn look on her face that didn't sit well with Kotaro.

"What is it?" He asked.

"We haven't found Mongke yet." She said, "I'd like a chance to give him a good beating before this battle is over." Kotaro sighed.

"I'm sure you will at some point." He said. "For now, can we just catch our breath before we risk our lives again?" Hoshiko grinned at him and took his hand in hers.

She looked out the window of one of the houses, "How do you think the others are doing?"

"I wish I knew." Kotaro replied. "I hope they're making it out alright."

A rumble pushed the two of them off of the wall they had been resting on. They quickly moved out of the house, blasting away the enemies nearby, jumping back into the fray.

Hoshiko was doing her best to maneuver around the soldiers as they blasted wave after wave of fire at her. She was already a little singed, and she wouldn't be surprised if she woke up with a bunch of burns all over, but for now, everything seemed as okay as it could be. She was with Kotaro, and they were fighting off their enemies together—at least, until a huge wave of fire blasted between them and the soldiers. Hoshiko looked to see the source and saw that it was the very reason she had come to Ba-Sing-Se.

Colonel Mongke gave her an arrogant smirk, and Hoshiko felt anger and rage swelling up inside her, the rhino-shaped brand on her back stinging again. She gathered up her shadows and threw them at him, and he blasted it away with fire. He sent out another blast, and she dashed to the side to avoid it.

Kotaro saw this sudden movement and saw Mongke sitting on his rhino just a few yards away. Hoshiko let out a wild snarl as she ran at him, gathering shadows on her arms to create two huge blades made of darkness. She jumped up on the rhino's head and started slashing at the man, who easily blocked the blows and he blasted her back with fire. She narrowly managed to defend herself with a shadow shield, but he had still burned her right leg and the corner of her left shoulder. Mongke yanked on the reigns of his rhino and they ran off. Hoshiko was quick to follow them, not seeing how Kotaro tried to follow after her.

"Hoshiko, wait!" He called to her, but she didn't seem to listen as she headed after the colonel, jumping up and running along the roof tops. Before Kotaro even had a chance to get up after her, he had to stop when someone threw a fire ball at him. He looked back and saw he had an entire platoon of soldiers waiting to fight him. He let out an annoyed groan and charged into the crowd, his fingers shooting sparks as he got ready.

* * *

Hoshiko ran after the rhino as Mongke rode it to another part of the city. She didn't know where, and she didn't really care at that moment. She just wanted to beat the crap out of Mongke. She wanted him to feel pain, just as she had when she had lived under him. She wanted to give him such a thrashing that he never forgot who she was. She wanted him to pay.

Eventually, the rhino came to a stop in a small square in the city, and Hoshiko jumped down from the roof tops, glaring at him.

"Do you people honestly believe you can defeat the Fire Nation?" Mongke asked her, "This is the day of _Sozin's Comet_. It is when fire benders are at their most powerful. We've already taken every major Earth Kingdom settlement. What is left for you to fight for?"

"Everything." Hoshiko growled, "The Fire Nation may have taken settlements, but there are people who live there. Lives that have been uprooted and _destroyed_ by the Fire Nation. We're fighting for _them_, we're fighting to make sure this war ends, and we're fighting to bring the four nations back to four nations." Mongke rolled his eyes.

"A touching sentiment." He said, "But if you were trying to convince me to back down, I won't." He held out his fists, flames burning on either side of them.

"I didn't want you to." Hoshiko growled, the shadows of all the buildings gathering around her, pooling at her feet, shadowy tentacles growing out of the blackness, creating a shadow bending version of the octopus form. Mongke grinned at her readiness to fight him, and shot a blast of fire at her. She blocked it with her shadows and shot her hands forward, the tentacles doing the same. Mongke readied to defend himself, but instead of going for him, they went for his rhino, piercing it on all sides. The beast let out a wild cry and ran off so quickly that Mongke fell off. He quickly got on his feet, only to narrowly avoid a jab from one of Hoshiko's shadows.

He retaliated with a huge blast of fire, and Hoshiko quickly made a shield to block the huge attack. When it was over, she brought up an inky ball of shadow and fired it at him. He shot fire at it to keep it from hitting him, but once it came in contact with the flames, the shadow expanded, creating sharp black projectiles that honed in on him. He managed to block a few of them, but one scratched his cheek, and another one landed in his shoulder. He let out a grunt of pain, and when he reached to pull it out, it disappeared. Hoshiko smirked and brought up three more of the same shadowy balls, firing them all at him. He still used his fire to defend himself, and made it bigger to block the projectiles, but they never came. When he stopped, he saw that the three of them had joined together and made something else that shot out tentacles into the ground below his feet. With a swift motion of Hoshiko's hands, the ground was yanked out from under him, making him fall flat on his back into the ditch. Hoshiko's shadows took in the huge piece of earth that she had pulled up and covered it in her shadows, creating a solid weight to add onto her shadows. Mongke pushed himself up just as Hoshiko fired off the boulder.

Mongke let out an angry shout and blasted it with a huge wave of fire that destroyed Hoshiko's shadows and turned the rock into harmless ash. Hoshiko prepared herself for another attack, and brought up a shield when he fired at her. Once he was finished, she tried to attack again, only to block his attack again as he tried to blast her again. He came at her again and again, and Hoshiko had no choice but to defend herself from the attacks. When there was a pause in his attacks, Hoshiko looked over the side of the shield to see Mongke was building up his energy, and she quickly ducked behind the shield again as a huge wave of fire came at her, continuously blowing against her shield. She did her best to keep it up, but the power of the blast was enough to push her back a few feet. She had to attack him, but how could she when there was fire on all sides of her, and if she were to take down her shield, she would surely be burnt to death.

With a cry, she gathered up as many shadows as she could and created a much larger shield and had it curl back towards Mongke, turning his flames against him. He stopped the blast and blocked the flames that came toward him, and when the fire had cleared, he saw that Hoshiko had gone. He looked around the square, looking for any sign of the Shinjun. He smirked when he realized she was hiding from him.

"What's the matter, Hoshiko?" He called out, "Too scared to come out and fight?!"

"I'm _not_ scared of you!" Hoshiko's voice shouted from an alley way. Immediately, Mongke shot a blast of fire through it and saw that Hoshiko had been hiding behind some store supplies that he had burnt up. He smirked and fired at her again, and she skillfully jumped up on the rooftop to avoid the blow. She ran across the roof of the building, narrowly dodging Mongke's fire and jumped down into another alley. Mongke ran over to it and blasted fire through the entire place, but found that Hoshiko wasn't hiding there. He kept his fists raised as he walked down the alley, looking for any sign of the Shinjun girl.

"If you're not afraid, then why don't you fight me head on?" Mongke shouted, his voice echoing through the alley as Hoshiko peeked around the corner of the way he had come in. She could see his back as he spoke. "You seemed to have gained some power since you ran away. Why don't you use it?" She gathered up some shadows in her hand.

"Because there's more to fighting than just barreling in!" Hoshiko shouted. Mongke turned in the direction of her voice just as she shot of the shadow ball at him. He blasted fire at it, and it split apart into a group of projectiles again. He blasted them away and ran to the entrance of the alley, finding himself back in the square again, no Hoshiko in sight. He walked through the square, eyes scanning over everything to try and find her. "There's strategy! And tactics! That's what I plan to use against a meat-headed soldier like you!" He couldn't determine where her voice was coming from.

"So your tactics are to run and hide?" Mongke taunted, "You can't come out and fight me like the warrior you claim to be?"

"I never said I was a warrior!" Hoshiko's voice shouted, and Mongke heard it coming from his left and he went over that way, fists raised. "I said I was going to fight in this war for the lives you've ruined!" Mongke shot a blast of fire down the alley way, and saw that he had made a mistake, as Hoshiko was not there. "And if you think you can taunt me into getting my _ni-nin_ out, you can forget it! I defeated her long ago! It's just you and me, Mongke!" He went over to the one next to where he had just fired and shot another blast of fire down it. This time, he found a shadowy shield blocking something and he grinned.

"And that's just the way I like to fight." He said, "_One on one_!" He fired another blast and Hoshiko kept her shield up, pushing against the fire, but Mongke didn't let up easily, and she felt her feet being pushed back again, making trails in the ground she stood on. She let out a grunt as she tried to keep the shield up against the fire, but it was becoming much harder than she thought it would be. Beads of sweat trailed down her forehead as the burning heat surrounded her, and she found it was getting harder to breathe as it went on. She made the shield curl again, pushing the fire back, and she managed to run away before Mongke had a chance to fire at her again, and she ran behind one of the houses, hiding there. She panted as she tried to catch her breath.

Why had she run so foolishly into the battle? She had heard Kotaro calling for her, but she didn't wait for him. She should have waited! She couldn't handle this fight on her own.

* * *

Kotaro blasted back another group of soldiers. He was getting tired of fighting them all off. He ran down the side of the street, and in the corner of his eye saw someone barreling towards him. He turned and prepared himself for another fight, only to see that it was Pian-Dao, who was fighting off other soldiers as well. They had followed the sword master down the road, and Kotaro grabbed the man's sword, using his lightning bending to quickly charge up the metal in the blade, he ran towards the soldiers, a ferocious and wolf-like snarl coming from his throat as he sliced the air before them, sparks of lightning flying out of the blade and zapping each one of the soldiers, paralyzing them. They fell to the ground and Kotaro panted with the effort he had put into the attack, he held out the sword, and Pian-Dao swiped it from him.

"Don't do that again." He advised. Kotaro nodded, his chest heaving as he tried to keep breathing normally, "Where's Hoshiko?" He looked up when they saw two Fire Nation tanks approaching them.

"I lost her." Kotaro said, he held up his hands, ready to fight off the tanks, and Pian-Dao held up his blade. Kotaro zapped the metal outsides of each tank to paralyze all who were inside, and Pian-Dao ran at the tanks, pushing his blade in at the hinges of the windows that allowed those in the tanks to fire at them, jamming them shut. "She went after Mongke on her own."

Pian-Dao looked at him with wide eyes, "Why would she do that?"

"He's her old master." Kotaro said, "She hates him more than anyone else in the world." Pian-Dao nodded solemnly. He knew how cruel people can be to Shinjuns in the Fire Nation, and Mongke was cruel on a regular basis. He'd hate to think of what he did to Hoshiko while she worked under him.

"I see." He said, "You should find her quickly. Mongke is probably the most powerful fire bender here, excluding those of the Order. We don't want to lose anyone in this fight." Kotaro nodded and the two of them ran off in different directions, Pian-Dao going to join into more of the battle, while Kotaro ran to try and find Hoshiko.

As he passed a road, he found himself face-to-face with even more soldiers. He let out an annoyed groan. "I'm _really_ starting to get tired of this!" He shouted as he charged up lightning around his hands. He ran at the soldiers, who all shot fire at him when they saw him coming. It didn't take very long for his lightning to electrocute a good portion. Others ran, for fear of getting zapped to death. Once they were gone, Kotaro looked around, searching for a good way to look around the city. He eventually just decided to climb up to the roof of one of the nearby buildings. He looked around, seeing huge, steep mountains of earth shooting out of the ground only to fall back just as quickly. It was the same with the huge walls of fire and water that were used in battle. Everyone in the Order was giving their all to fight off this enemy and save the city of Ba-Sing-Se.

He glanced up at the sky, seeing that Sozin's comet still flew, a bright, flaming tail coming behind it. He frowned when he realized this battle was far from over. He looked back out over the rooftops.

"Come on, Hoshi…" He muttered quietly, "Give me a sign…" He kept searching, when something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw some streams of fire shooting out in one area. It wasn't very large, and there wasn't many more, so whoever was fire bending was doing so alone. He kept a careful eye on the area, putting his attention on that. Then he saw a wave of shadow come up in response to an attack. "Hoshiko!" He ran across the roof, sliding down it and landing on the ground, running over to where they were.

* * *

Hoshiko looked back, and Mongke spotted her, she quickly ducked back for cover as flames suddenly engulfed the house she was hiding behind. She jumped up and ran around the burning building. She brought up more shadowy projectiles at Mongke, and he blasted each one. She skidded to a halt so she could get her proper footing, and she brought up a huge wave of shadow. Mongke blasted the top of it with fire, but it didn't do much good. He jumped back before it could hit him, and fired back at her. Hoshiko dodged it and ran to hide, but Mongke shot a huge wave of fire in front of her before she had a chance to get away.

She turned in his direction, glaring at him. He returned the glare and Hoshiko concentrated on gathering up shadows around her, planning to take the panther form once more. Mongke shot more fire at her, and she created a shield to block it. She tried to keep it up while still gathering shadows, but it was very difficult to do. The heat of the flames was getting stronger and stronger, and she worried that it was going to burn her entire body. The image of her mother's burned face flashed in her mind, and she felt a sudden drop in her stomach at the thought of becoming like that. She strengthened the shield and moved back as the flames went back to Mongke. He was able to block it and push it aside easily, and created a huge wave of fire to throw at her before she was ready to defend herself.

Her eyes widened as the flames came too close too fast, and she readied herself for the burns, but they never came. She looked to see Kotaro had jumped in front of her, the heat of his own lightning pushing back the flames that threatened to hit her. She smiled at the sight of him, and he smiled back at her. The lightning just barely went by Mongke and he looked at this new opponent with a sharp glare.

"Didn't we agree we wouldn't leave each other's side?" Kotaro asked her, ignoring Mongke's presence for a moment.

"Sorry, I kinda forgot about you." Hoshiko said with a shrug. Kotaro mockingly made an offended noise that made Hoshiko giggle.

"So…" Mongke said, looking at Kotaro, who turned to him with a glare, "This is your boyfriend that you made such a fuss about."

"He's not my 'boyfriend'," Hoshiko said, coming up to Kotaro's side, "He's my _hanbun tamashi_, he is half of my soul. If you had any respect for Shinjun culture, you would know that."

"I don't think I've ever gone up against a lightning bender," Mongke said, holding up his fists, "But I'm sure this will be a battle to remember."

Kotaro and Hoshiko readied themselves to fight against Mongke. "Yeah, you're going to remember this day as the day you were beaten by a pair of Shinjun 'pack mules'." Hoshiko growled.

* * *

**We're getting closer! I'm kinda excited. Also, an early Happy Thanksgiving to you all!**


	43. Sozin's Comet Part 4: Avatar Aang

43

Kotaro was the first to attack, sending a bolt of lightning at Mongke. He was narrowly able to dodge it and retaliated with his own attack. Kotaro and Hoshiko dove out of the way as Mongke's flames went whooshing past them. They stayed there, trying to catch their breath.

"So, what was that about handling him on your own?" Kotaro asked her, Hoshiko glared at him.

"I thought I could. I was wrong." She said shortly, "Now will you help me or not?!"

"I'll help." Kotaro said, he took her hand in his, "But we're going to need a plan besides rushing him head on."

"I know." Hoshiko sighed, "It would be easier if we had the jump on him. He'll know to be careful about your attacks, and he knows he can take mine."

"So what do you want to do?" Kotaro asked, Hoshiko kept hold of his hand.

"We fight together and take him down." She said, "At the very least, we'll wear him down until the comet's passed." Kotaro nodded and tightened his grip on her hand. They both ran out of their hiding places and shot off their own attacks at Mongke, only to find that their target wasn't there. They looked around the square, searching for the fire bender but didn't see any trace of him.

"Where'd he go?" Kotaro asked aloud. Their ears twitched as they heard a strange crackling and looked back to see a fire ball headed straight for them. The couple jumped out of the way as quickly as they could and the fire roared over their heads. Once it had passed, Hoshiko stood up and sent a wave of shadow at where Mongke stood. He dodged it and the two of them ran to where he had been only to see that he had disappeared again.

"Oh, great." Hoshiko groaned, glaring at the buildings around them, "He's copying me."

"What?" Kotaro looked at her confusedly.

"He's going to hide until he gets a better chance to attack." Hoshiko said, "That's what I was doing before you showed up." Kotaro looked around, keeping an eye out for the man. "The second our backs are turned, he'll fire."

Kotaro put his back against Hoshiko's, "Let's make sure he doesn't get that chance." Hoshiko smiled at him and turned her attention to the battlefield. She could see where the others were fighting other soldiers, earth, water, and fire all creating huge towers all throughout the city. It was amazing that their battle hadn't been caught in another, but she had a feeling that Mongke knew that no one would come to this square. That's why he had led them there, to give them some privacy as they fought.

She turned and saw Mongke charging at them, fists ablaze. There was no time to make a counter attack, so she made a shield to protect her and Kotaro as he fired at them. She did as before and inverted the shield to blast it back at him, but she made sure to create a projectile and fire it at him through the flames. She couldn't see what happened, but she heard Mongke let out a cry of pain. She and Kotaro stood up when the flames cleared and saw that Mongke had disappeared again. They went into the alley where he had been, and Hoshiko found fresh blood on the ground where he was standing. She took a little pride in knowing that she had wounded him.

"Hard to believe someone so cowardly is a colonel!" She shouted, trying to get his attention, "Last I checked the Rough Rhinos never ran from a fight. People ran from theirs!"

"Hah!" Mongke's voice echoed through the square, "This coming from the girl who was hiding away only moments ago!"

"What are you doing?" Kotaro whispered to her.

"Trying to rile up his temper." Hoshiko whispered back. She turned her attention back to the square. She spotted Mongke coming towards them, a bleeding cut on his shoulder and flames growing around his knuckles. She took a defensive stance, creating a shadowy shield as sparks flew around Kotaro's fingers. Mongke attacked and Kotaro managed to shoot off a lightning bolt just before he got down behind Hoshiko's shield. The flames moved around them harmlessly, but the heat of it was strong enough to make them break a sweat. The flames passed and the couple stood up, seeing that Mongke was gone. Kotaro went over to the spot where Mongke had been standing, seeing that fresh blood had fallen on the ground. He sniffed the air, his strong nose picking up the irony scent. Hoshiko stood beside him as he turned his head and pointed in one direction.

"There's something I don't really understand, Mongke!" Hoshiko shouted in the square, "Why would the leader of the Rough Rhinos, the guy who loves nothing more than travelling around the Earth Kingdom, agree to be cemented to Ba-Sing-Se on guard duty?"

"Ozai gave me a price I couldn't refuse!" Mongke shouted at them, "In return for coming all the way to this place, I get an instant gratification for my work!"

"He paid you that much gold, huh?" Hoshiko shouted, keeping close to Kotaro as he followed the scent that Mongke's blood had left.

"Not gold, Hoshiko." Mongke's voice came from just around the corner. Hoshiko looked to Kotaro and he nodded in confirmation. They both crept quietly to the area as Mongke kept speaking, "I wasn't interested in the money, though there was a lot. He said I could do whatever I wanted to the Shinjun encampment when I got there." Hoshiko's eyes widened and Kotaro shot off a bolt of lightning at where Mongke's voice came from and he ended up destroying a box that he had been hiding behind. Mongke instantly retaliated with a huge blast of fire and Kotaro jumped back behind a building as it burned past them. When it was gone, so was Mongke again.

Hoshiko glared and marched back out to the square, searching for the fire bender, "So it _was_ you that led the attack on the encampment!" She snarled.

Mongke laughed, "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner!"

"I had my suspicions." Hoshiko growled, but it was too low for Mongke to hear, "Do you know how many people you hurt in that attack?! How many people you killed?!"

"I didn't kill any people!" Mongke's voice shouted, "I just took out an unneeded infestation." Hoshiko felt her blood boiling under her skin from her fury. She let out a wild cry and brought up a huge wave of shadow and brought it crashing down on one of the buildings in the square, leveling it.

"My _mother_ was in that encampment!" Hoshiko shouted. Kotaro's hand came to her shoulder and she calmed herself a little bit.

"She wasn't the one that was already half-way cooked was she?" Mongke's voice asked. Hoshiko froze, her hatred making her body grow stiff at the sound of his blasé tone. "Because I remember her. She was such an easy target." Hoshiko's fists clenched angrily, and Kotaro was scowling at the buildings around them. "She couldn't run, she couldn't walk, she couldn't even crawl. She looked like a little grub worm when she tried to get away." Kotaro's teeth began to grind together, how dare he have such disrespect for someone like Hikari? "It didn't take long to get rid of her. She was already crispy."

Tears formed in Hoshiko's eyes and she let out another cry, "You_ monster_!" she leveled a second building. She didn't notice how darkness began to seep out of her eyes with her tears. Kotaro did, and he feared another Kagemi take over as Hoshiko cried out. "There's a special place in _hell_ for people like you!"

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it." Mongke's voice came from behind them, and Hoshiko whirled around to see him standing there with a smug grin on his face. He held up his hands, both of them engulfed in fire, showing that he was planning to attack them again. Hoshiko didn't care and she ran at him with an angry cry, shadows gathering in her hands in preparation for attack. Mongke was surprised at the sudden speed but paid it not mind as he shot his fire at her.

"Hoshiko!" Kotaro shouted when he saw she was heading straight into the fire. Only a moment later was her figure engulfed by the orange flames. Kotaro feared the worst, but only for a moment as he soon saw Hoshiko jump out of the fire, a black shield in front of her turning into a huge, piercing javelin of sorts that she threw at Mongke. He narrowly avoided it and looked up, prepared to attack again, but was only knocked back by another wave of shadow. He stumbled and prepared himself again, but was knocked back once more by another shadowy wave. This happened again and again and again, Hoshiko's shadows pushing him further and further back as she let out her fury at the fire bender. Each wave was sharper and more harmful than the last, as if she were shooting huge needles at him. He did his best to block them, using fire to blow them back, but her attacks were unrelenting and he couldn't find an opening to retaliate. She landed many hits on him easily, causing him to bleed more from different cuts on his body. Where there was no cut, there was a harsh bruise that darkened his skin. She kept attacking and attacking, putting her all into every attack. Eventually, Mongke didn't even get the chance to run away because the attacks were coming so fast. She hit him again and again, angry tears streaming down her face.

Mongke was soon knocked onto his back and Hoshiko's shadows hit him again and again, making him tumble back. She did not stop, and when Mongke didn't move, she used her shadows like huge arms to grab him around the neck and pick him up, only to throw him back on the ground. Kotaro's eyes were wide as he watched this. He had never seen such ferocity in her before. It scared him to think that this was Hoshiko, and somehow not Kagemi.

Mongke did nothing more than moan in pain when he hit the ground. He let out a choking sound when the shadows grabbed him around the neck and pushed him up against the wall of one of the buildings, the shadows squeezing tighter and tighter. He let out coughs as he tried to breathe, but no air would come. Tears were still pouring from Hoshiko's eyes and she glared at him with such hatred that Kotaro thought she might really kill him out of revenge. He didn't interfere, though. This was Hoshiko's decision to make, and it was really her battle to fight. He didn't have a right to interfere. As Mongke let out another strangled cry, he grasped uselessly at the shadows, looking down at Hoshiko.

"Are you… going to… kill me…?!" He rasped out. Hoshiko's eyes widened, no longer showing the anger that she felt as she realized what she was about to do. Her grip loosened on Mongke's neck and she stared at him. How did she get here? She just remembered glancing at Mongke a moment ago, and then she just saw red. Was she really about to take Mongke's life? Could she live with something like that? She saw Mongke smirk, "I didn't think so. You Shinjuns are too cowardly to take someone's life." Hoshiko glared at him, her hatred shining through her eyes once more, but the tears had stopped. Her grip on his neck tightened again and she picked him up, pushing his front against the wall instead of his back. She brought up another shadow, one that was razor sharp. Kotaro watched as she slashed it across Mongke's back, and he thought that she had taken his life in that one swing, but she swung it again and again and again. Small flecks of blood spattered on the wall until she finally stopped and dropped Mongke's body. Kotaro ran over to them to see what had happened and to his surprise, Mongke was still alive. Instead of his back being cut open, there was a scar on his lower hip that bore Hoshiko's name.

She panted as she caught her breath, glaring at the colonel before her, who was now too weak to even stand up. "Now you will never forget who did this to you, and you will know what it's like to walk around bearing the mark of the person you hate most." She said. She turned away from him and looked at Kotaro. They both turned to the sky as they saw it was getting darker and saw that the comet passing, no longer giving fire benders their power. The city was quiet and they knew the battle was over.

* * *

The pair walked out to the city's walls and saw that most soldiers of the Fire Nation had been tied up or held down in some way. The members of the White Lotus were all together, talking with one another, getting some rest as they soaked in their victory. Hoshiko went over and sat down near the group and Kotaro sat with her. Hoshiko held her head in her hands and let out a deep breath. Kotaro put his arm around her shoulders, offering her comfort.

"I'm proud of you, Hoshi." He said to her, "It takes a lot to do what you did." Hoshiko raised her head and looked up at him. He could see the weariness on her face from their battle.

"It's the closest thing to revenge I'm going to get… I think." She said. She looked up at the darkening sky, seeing the moon and stars make their appearance above them. "How do you think the others did?"

"You want to know?" Iroh's voice came to them and they looked to see the old man approaching with a scroll in hand, "This message just came from Zuko. He defeated Azula. He is to be crowned Fire Lord the morning after tomorrow." Hoshiko smiled at the good news, "He said he got word from Sokka that Ozai was defeated and the airship fleet is useless."

"So… Aang took his life?" Kotaro asked. Iroh shook his head.

"He found a way to take away Ozai's bending." He said. The two looked at him with wide eyes, unable to believe what they had just heard. Iroh grinned and chuckled at the sight of their faces, "That's what I thought, too." They both gave the elderly man smiles, but they didn't laugh. They were far too exhausted at this point. Iroh's grin faded as he looked over at Hoshiko, "I heard you fought Mongke." She nodded and he looked at her, his mouth set in a grim line, "And was your 'score' settled?" She nodded again.

"I didn't kill him," She said, "Mongke won't win the honor of dying in battle. He's going to walk around with my _own_ brand on his body for the rest of his life." Iroh nodded.

"Well, rest up. We have a long journey ahead of us." He said before turning away.

"We do?" Kotaro questioned.

"Of course we do." Iroh said, "Where do you think we're meeting your friends? We're going to my nephew's coronation!" Iroh grinned widely at his words, and the couple smiled as well, happy to hear they were going to meet with friends again.

* * *

The trip didn't seem very long because the couple spent most of it sleeping on the ride over. The ship that belonged to the White Lotus was really a ship that Iroh stole from the Fire Nation military, but none of the guards said anything about it as they pulled out of port. After a few hours of sleeping and resting, the couple went out onto the deck, spending time with only each other. After such a huge battle, they wanted to be nowhere else but with the person they loved. None of the members of the Order questioned it and left the two of them alone as they went about on the ship, just talking, holding hands, and occasionally sharing kisses.

They arrived at the royal Fire Nation port at about noon. There was already a huge crowd coming into the nation as well to see the coronation of the new Fire Lord, some of them Hoshiko and Kotaro recognized, seeing a whole bunch of Shinjuns coming in. It didn't take them long to find old friends and meet up with an excited Xana and all her brothers, who were all happy about their reunion. Xana made a few remarks on the bandages that decorated Kotaro and Hoshiko, and they told her they were just minor burns from their battle; scars worth bearing for this great victory.

As they headed to the palace where their friends waited for them, Xana filled them in on all she had heard from her brothers while they had been in prison. They learned that Aang had managed to achieve the avatar state when fighting Ozai before taking his bending away. They also learned of Zuko's battle with Azula and how he had taken a bolt of lightning for Katara. He was getting medical care at the moment, which was why the coronation was postponed until a day after the battle.

"Hoshiko?"

"Kotaro?"

The pair turned around to see Sokka, Katara, and Toph just a few yards away from them. They were still wearing the clothes they had worn during their battle, and Sokka was now walking with a crutch, his leg heavily bandaged, but they all smiled brightly at their friends. The two ran over and Hoshiko shared an embrace with each of them.

"I'm so glad you guys are okay!" Katara said when Hoshiko hugged her, "How did it go?"

"About as well as I expected it would." Hoshiko said, "I heard about what happened with Azula. Well done." Katara shrugged modestly, but Hoshiko could tell she was pleased with the compliment. She turned to Toph and let the earth bender get a good punch into her shoulder before she hugged her, "And how are you doing, Toph?"

"I'm doing awesome!" She said, "We just saved the _whole world_. This is the best day ever! I feel like I could earth bend the entire palace!" She made a few punching motions in the air in her excitement. Hoshiko smiled. She looked over at Sokka.

"And look at you," She said, "It seems you didn't come out without any scars." Sokka shrugged.

"Katara said she'll start healing it after the coronation ceremony." He said. Hoshiko nodded.

"How'd that happen, anyway?" Kotaro asked, and Sokka began to go into a long explanation, telling about how he, Suki, and Toph boarded the air ships and began to take them down as the group walked to the palace.

"There are so many people here." Xana commented as she walked beside her friend.

"I'd be surprised if there wasn't." Hoshiko said, "This Fire Lord is going to end the war. I can't wait."

"Do you think he'll abolish Shinjun slavery in the Fire Nation, too?" Xana asked.

"I don't think slavery was legal in the Fire Nation to begin with." Katara said.

"Whatever." Hoshiko silenced the two, "The point is we're all here, we're all alive, and we're all going to stick around to see the end of this war and the four nations _finally_ come to peace." The girls smiled and began talking excitedly about what had happened to each of them. Katara went into great detail about the battle she and Zuko had with Azula, talking about how Zuko bravely took the lighting strike for her and how she had managed to trap Azula in chains with her water bending. Xana went on about her reunion with her brothers, telling about how many tears were shed in joy to see them again. Hoshiko told them about her battle with Mongke, and how she had ended it with her own style of branding. This went on until they reached the courtyard, where they saw that other old friends of theirs had attended as well. They could see the swamp benders and earth benders, as well as Pipsqueak and The Duke. Xana looked around and smiled widely when she saw someone she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Haru!" She shouted. The young man turned around just in time to catch the reptilian girl in his arms, her lips pressing against his in a kiss. Haru happily returned it, and once they broke, he spun her in the air. When she landed, she looked up to see Haru's father, and introductions began between the three of them.

Toph went over to Pipsqueak and The Duke to say hello, and they greeted her warmly. Toph even let The Duke hug her hello.

Katara and Sokka noticed there were soldiers from the Southern Water Tribe and they went to search for their father. Hoshiko and Kotaro went with them, as Sokka hadn't finished his story yet.

"…And it was like _bam—bam—bam_, AIRSHIP SLICE!"

"Sokka." Kotaro interrupted him, "I _just_ asked you how you hurt your leg."

"I'm getting to that." Sokka said pointedly. Kotaro sighed tiredly.

After pushing through a few people Katara managed to spot their father in the crowd and she pointed it out to Sokka, putting a hold on his story.

"Dad!" They cried upon seeing him. Hakoda turned around and embraced his children when they came to him. His smile beamed with pride as he looked at them.

"I heard what you two did." He said, "I am the proudest father in the world." He turned to Katara, "And your mother would be proud, too." Katara's eyes welled with tears as she touched the necklace she wore.

Small clanks were heard and the group looked over to see Suki and some of the other Kyoshi warriors coming over to them, all dressed in their best uniforms.

"There's my favorite warriors!" Sokka said happily when he saw them, "I have to admit, I kind of missed the face paint." Suki smiled at him, "So how's it feel to be back in uniform again?"

"It feels _great_!" A familiar face came from the crowd, a happy, perky face that was dressed in Kyoshi outfitting. Sokka's eyes widened and he immediately hobbled over to Suki, keeping Ty Lee at bay with his crutch.

"Careful, Suki. Ty Lee's pretending to be a Kyoshi warrior again!" He warned, glaring at her.

"It's okay." Suki said with a laugh, "She's one of us now."

Sokka's jaw dropped with a surprised yelp and he looked at Ty Lee in shock. She just smiled at him. "Yeah, the girls and I really bonded in prison, and after a few chi-blocking lessons, they said I could join their group!" She joyfully embraced two of the closest warriors so their faces were pressed against hers, "We're gonna be best friends forever!" They all smiled, but Ty Lee's smile faded when she noticed Hoshiko. "You're… Kagemi?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm the original shadow bender she took over." She held out her hand, "I'm hoping we can start over." Ty Lee shook her hand, looking a little weirded out at the idea of shaking hands with someone who wasn't the person she originally met, "I want to apologize for any rudeness Kagemi had with you. She wasn't really very likable."

"No kidding." Ty Lee said in agreement. She smiled at Hoshiko, "Does this mean we can be friends?"

"Um, sure. If you want." Hoshiko said with a shrug. She was suddenly embraced by the little chi-blocker. "Wow. You are _very_ friendly." Ty Lee giggled and pulled back from Hoshiko.

They all stayed together until the Fire Sages announced that the ceremony was about to begin and everyone faced the podium as they prepared for Zuko's entrance. A deep gong sounded at his arrival, and the crowd erupted into cheers for the young prince, who looked his absolute best in his Fire Lord robes. He held up his hand to the people modestly.

"Please," He called, "The real hero is the avatar." He stepped to the side as Aang came in after him. The cheers turned into deafening roars as everyone saw him. Aang smiled as he heard them. After a minute, Zuko raised his hand again and the crowd quieted to listen to what he had to say, "Today this war is finally over!" The crowd cheered again. "I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation, and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided, but with the avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path and begin a new era of love and peace." The crowd cheered once more as Zuko kneeled down. One of the Fire Sages came over to him and held high the golden royal top knot-adorning crown of the Fire Lord.

"All hail Fire Lord Zuko!" The Sage yelled as he slid the crown into place. Cheering erupted deafeningly as Zuko lifted his head and stood strong and tall as the nation's new ruler. Aang came to stand beside him and together they looked out at the crowd before them.

* * *

After the ceremony, everyone set off for the Earth Kingdom, to Ba-Sing-Se to meet with King Kuei about what to do with the Fire Nation settlements in the Earth Kingdom. Everyone went with the two new leaders as they went to the palace. As they walked through the city, they saw that everyone was adjusting well to the former battle zone. They saw kids playing and adults going about their lives as if nothing had happened. The inner walls of Ba-Sing-Se had been torn down when the Fire Nation came and no one seemed to mind it.

They were all greeted with warm welcomes from the king as he met with the avatar and the new Fire Lord. They went to the throne room and he showed them a picture of where the Fire Nation settlements were in the Earth Kingdom, each one represented by a small, red flame. They dotted the coastline of the Earth Kingdom and Aang commented on this as he looked at the map.

"I never realized the Fire Nation built so many colonies in the Earth Kingdom." He said, pointing to a few of them.

"Yes," King Kuei said, "For the Earth people, they're a constant reminder of the war, like an old scar." He jumped and turned to Zuko, "Oh, I… I—Fire Lord Zuko, I meant nothing personal!"

Zuko shook his head as he looked at the map, "No, Earth King Kuei. You're right. After all the pain my father has caused, it's my duty to bring healing to the world. I'll remove those colonies. I'll do whatever it takes."

"That won't be easy." Kotaro spoke up, "Getting rid of those colonies means disrupting a lot of people's lives."

"Yeah," Aang agreed, "We need someone to oversee everything, to make sure it all goes peacefully." He smiled, "Someone like _me_!"

"Really?" Zuko asked, "You'd want to do that?"

"Yeah, I'm the avatar! Making stuff go peacefully is kind of my thing!" Aang replied.

"Wonderful!" King Kuei said, "The avatar's personal involvement will give the entire process an air of hope!"

"Sokka and I can help!" Katara said happily.

"_Aww_." Sokka whined, "I was gonna visit Kyoshi Island." Hoshiko rolled her eyes and smacked him upside the head, "Ow!"

"Don't be so selfish." Hoshiko chided him. "Suki's in town for another week or so anyway, so you'll have plenty of time to spend with her." Sokka stuck out his tongue, and she did the same with her own.

"It'll be a movement," King Kuei said, completely ignoring the little exchange between Hoshiko and Sokka, "A movement towards harmony! We'll call it… We'll call it…"

"The Harmony Restoration Movement!" Sokka piped up.

"Yes!" King Kuei hit his fist in his hand, "The _Harmony Restoration Movement_! I like it!"

"What's with you and your goofy names for everything?" Toph asked Sokka.

"It's a gift." He replied with a grin.

"I'll set up a celebration to announce it to the Earth People." King Kuei said, "You're all invited, of course."

"We'd be happy to join you." Hoshiko said, "But for now, I think we all want to get a little rest in before we start."

"Oh, yes." King Kuei nodded in understanding, "Well, I hope to see you all there." The group promised him they would be and left the palace.

* * *

Before the festivities began, they all decided it would be nice to pay a visit to Iroh at his tea shop, the Jasmine Dragon, to find some time to relax and have fun together.

Mai and Suki came with the group, all of them changing into more comfortable Earth Kingdom clothes. Iroh was more than happy to see them, promising them his best pot of jasmine tea. It didn't take long for everyone to start relaxing. Toph was just leaning back in a chair, partly asleep but still awake. Aang was playing with Momo on the floor. Iroh was sitting at the table, playing a tune on his sungi horn. Kotaro and Hoshiko were entertaining themselves with a small patch of string, making cat's cradle. Occasionally, just to mess with her, Kotaro would dangle it in front of Hoshiko's face and she'd swipe at it a couple times like a cat would. She'd elbow his gut and he'd go back to the cat's cradle again. Katara was watching a pai-sho match between Suki and Mai. Zuko had been doing the same a moment ago, but went to go and check on the tea since his uncle was so busy playing music. Sokka was just a few feet away, doing something with a piece of paper, no one really bothered to ask.

Zuko came back with the tea, which was ready, and handed a cup to everyone. Sokka scowled as he watched the new Fire Lord walk around in their group.

"Zuko, stop moving!" Sokka snapped at him, "I'm trying to capture the moment!" Everyone looked at him curiously and he turned his attention back to the paper in front of him, "I wanted to do a painting, so we always remember the good times together." His tongue poked out of his lips as he focused on the page.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Sokka." Katara said as she came over to him. She looked at the paper and frowned, "Wait, why did you give me Momo's ears?"

"Those are your hair loopies." Sokka said. Zuko, Mai, Suki, Kotaro, and Hoshiko went over to the painting to see how Sokka had depicted them and they all frowned at his poor art skills.

"At least you don't look like a boarcupine." Zuko said, "My hair's not that spiky!"

"I look like a man." Mai said in disapproval, crossing her arms.

"Are those whiskers on my face?" Hoshiko asked upon seeing it, "Do I look like I have a moustache to you?"

"My tail looks like a sack of rice! It is _not_ that big!" Kotaro said.

"And why did you paint me fire bending?" Suki asked.

"I thought it looked more exciting that way." Sokka said. Momo hopped up on the table, letting out little warbles as he looked at Sokka, who frowned at the lemur, "Oh, you think you could do a better job, Momo?" The lemur warbled at him again and Aang smiled at the sight of the group before getting up to go outside. Iroh and Toph came over to the group.

"Hey, my belly's not that big anymore." He said, pointing to it, "I've really trimmed down."

"Well I think you all look perfect!" Toph said. Everyone laughed at her joke.

"Okay, well," Sokka took a look at his painting, "I guess it kinda stinks anyway, huh?"

"Oh, it's not _so_ bad." Hoshiko said, she licked her thumb, "Just…" She put it to the paper and wiped off Sokka's face, "There. Now it's better."

"Hey!" Sokka snapped. Everyone laughed again and Hoshiko ruffled his hair.

"I'm just teasing, Sokka. Lighten up." She said.

"Where did Aang go?" Katara asked, looking around.

"Twinkle Toes headed outside a second ago." Toph said, pointing to the door. Katara went outside to go and find him and everyone went back to what they were doing, getting Sokka to promise to make a better painting. He did so with a mock scowl and crumpled up the paper he had been working on. Hoshiko snuggled up next to Kotaro and sighed happily, laying her head on his shoulder.

"You seem happy." Kotaro said, Hoshiko nodded.

"I _am_ happy." She replied, "The war's over, we're with friends, I'm with you… I don't see how this day could get much better." Kotaro was quiet for a moment, thinking. A moment later he kissed Hoshiko's head.

"I'll be right back." He said before getting up. He went into the kitchen, where Iroh had decided it was time to get some snacks out for his guests and Kotaro bumped into him. "Sorry."

"It's alright." Iroh said, he started picking up some small cookies for the others to eat. He looked over at Kotaro, who was getting something else from the pantry, and saw something sticking out of his pocket. "What's that you have there?"

"What, this?" Kotaro asked, holding up some rice.

"No, in your pocket." Iroh said, reaching for it. Kotaro gasped suddenly and dropped the rice to prevent Iroh from pulling it out, but he was too late. The old man had grabbed it and he held it in his hands with wide eyes. It was a necklace made of fine leather string, it only bore a single charm that had a picture of a star next to the moon. Iroh looked at Kotaro, who was glancing nervously between the entrance to the kitchen and what Iroh held. "This is…"

"Yes, it's a betrothal necklace." Kotaro whispered, taking it from him and putting it back in his pocket.

"You're going to ask Hoshiko to marry you?" Iroh asked, Kotaro nodded.

"Well, it's been a long time coming." Kotaro said, "I've been meaning to ask her for a while, so…" He shrugged. Iroh smiled and clapped the young Shinjun on the shoulder.

"Congratulations." He said.

"I haven't asked her yet." Kotaro said with a small laugh, "Don't congratulate me until then." He walked around the old man, grabbing a handful of the cookies he had taken out and walking back over to Hoshiko. She smiled when she saw him and he sat next to her. Iroh smiled and headed out of the kitchen with the plate of finger food for everyone to share.

"Hey, you know what we should do?" Sokka spoke up after a moment, "We should take a ride on Appa before the celebration starts."

"Why would we want to do that?" Toph asked.

"Well, think about it," Sokka began, "After this, how often do you think we're all going to see each other?" Everyone glanced around, Sokka's words making them think. "We're all going our separate ways after today, right? I'm going to help Aang and Katara with the Harmony Restoration movement, Zuko's got to go back to the Fire Nation to be Fire Lord, Suki's going back to Kyoshi Island, and everyone else is bound to do something in the Earth Kingdom. We should make the most out of our time together."

"He makes a good point." Suki said, "I think we should all go out and have a little fun. This could be the last time we all meet up for a while."

"The announcement won't happen for another few hours," Kotaro said, "Can't we all just relax a little more?"

"We've been relaxing _all day_!" Sokka said, "I think it's time we have some fun." He stood up from his seat, "Who's with me?"

"I'll go." Hoshiko said, "I think it'll be great." Kotaro sighed.

"Yeah, I guess I'll go, too." He said.

"I'll stay here." Iroh said, "Chances are more people will want tea to celebrate the end of the war."

"I'm _not_ riding on that huge, shedding monstrosity." Mai said.

"Well, I'm going." Zuko said. Mai shrugged indifferently.

"I guess I'll go, too." Toph said with a sigh.

"Awesome, I'll go get Katara and Aang and we can go." Sokka said, heading over to the door. "Hey guys— AH!" He jumped at the sight of Aang and Katara kissing each other. They jumped apart the second they heard his voice and Aang's face flushed a bright red.

"Nothing! We're not doing anything out here!" Aang said hurriedly.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking, Sokka?!" Katara snapped at her brother.

"First of all, you're supposed to knock before going _inside_, not outside." Sokka began, "And second, as my sister, you really shouldn't be kissing anyone in front of me! It's your sisterly duty to avoid giving me the _oogies_!" He made a face on the last word.

"'Oogies'?! Aargh! You are so immature sometimes!" Katara said, "What about you and Suki?!"

The pair began to bicker back and forth and Aang sighed. "Uh, Sokka?" He called to him, but he didn't hear him, so he called a little louder, "Sokka!"

"Time out." Sokka said, holding up his hand to his sister's face, "Yeah, Aang?"

"What'd you come out here to tell us?" Aang asked as everyone who was coming outside.

"Oh! Right! We're about to head out." Sokka told him.

"But the king's celebration doesn't start for a couple more hours!" Aang said.

"I know." Sokka said, "We wanted to take Appa out for a ride first!"

"He convinced us it would be a good idea." Hoshiko said as they came towards the couple.

"Oh. That sounds fun." Aang said, smiling. Everyone got ready to go on the bison, Kotaro's hand jammed in his pocket so he wouldn't lose the necklace.

* * *

Appa took a sudden dive down and everyone squealed excitedly, their hands up in the air as they rode down, except for Zuko and Toph, who were holding onto the saddle for dear life. Once Aang pulled up on his reigns, Appa flew steady again and everyone was laughing happily.

"Ha, ha! Let's go again!" Aang said.

"Wait guys!" Suki called out, pointing to the sky, "The fireworks are starting!" Everyone looked up to see huge, colorful explosions in the night sky of pink, red, green, blue, yellow, and every other color imaginable. Everyone stared at the display with wide eyes as they all went off.

"Wow, this view is amazing." Hoshiko said, looking at it.

"It is." Aang said, he pet the head of the bison with a smile, "Thanks buddy." Appa let out a grunt in response.

Kotaro heard cheering and he looked down to see a huge group of people all celebrating down below and smiled, "Sounds like the king just announced the Harmony Restoration Movement."

"Hey, wanna know what fireworks are like for me?" Toph said to Sokka, "Close your eyes." He did so and she came up next to him and shouted in his ear, "_BOOOOM!_"

"AAH!" Sokka fell back on the bison, holding his ringing ears. Hoshiko laughed at the sight of it.

"Oh, Toph!" Katara laughed, coming up to her, "Don't be such a grump! You're out with friends on a beautiful night, celebrating the fact that we saved the world!"

"True." Toph said with a smile.

"Ouch…" Sokka moaned, still holding his ears.

Aang looked over at Zuko to see he was looking a little despondent as well, "You, too, Your New Majesty Fire Lord Zuko, sir!" He said happily, making a big grin on his face, "Turn that frown upside down! It's happy time!" Zuko was silent and didn't say anything for a moment and Aang's grin disappeared, "Zuko…?"

The scarred Fire Lord turned to his friend, "I visited my father in prison the other day… I've been meaning to ask you for a favor, Aang." He said.

"Sure. Anything." Aang replied.

"If you ever see me turning into my father," Zuko began seriously, "I want you to… I want you to _end me_." Everyone's eyes widened at his words.

"What?!" Aang exclaimed.

"Zuko, what are you saying?" Kotaro asked him.

"Even now, after everything that's happened," Zuko said, "My family's legacy is still a part of me. That's why it's my duty to heal the scars that the Fire Nation has left on the world. But the Fire Lord's throne comes with a lot of pressures. And if I'm honest with myself… I need a safety net. The world needs a safety net. That's what I need you to be, Aang. The safety net."

"Zuko, you're _not_ your dad!" Aang said, "And you're my _friend_! How can you expect—"

"As your friend, I'm asking you—" Zuko said, "If you ever see me go bad, end me. _Promise me_, Aang."

Aang looked at his friend worriedly and he looked over at Katara, who nodded once. He sighed and sulked his shoulders. "…Fine. I promise."

* * *

After that moment, the party was a little dampened, but everyone still managed to have a good time. Once they were finished, they all headed back to the Jasmine Dragon, where Iroh had said they could stay for the night. They all bid their goodnights to each other, and Hoshiko went outside once everyone was in bed. She looked up at the starry sky, seeing the moon shine brightly against the darkness. Kotaro came out and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his head on her shoulder.

"The moon is so bright tonight." He murmured. Hoshiko nodded.

"Yeah," She said, "I think Yue's celebrating with us." Kotaro's mouth quirked up in a smirk. He looked at Hoshiko and saw her profile against the moon in the sky. Her dark hair seemed to shine even more than before from the moonlight, and her crystalline eyes sparkled with the reflection of the stars. He stared at her for a moment, drinking in the sight of her. He couldn't think of a time where he had seen her look more beautiful.

She noticed him staring after a moment and turned to him, "What? What is it?"

"Nothing." Kotaro said, "It's just… You look really beautiful tonight." Hoshiko smiled shyly and blushed, pushing some of her hair out of her face. "Hoshiko," he took her hands, "There's something I need to ask you."

"Okay." She said, turning to him.

Kotaro paused for a moment, thinking. He looked down at their joined hands and smiled, "Hoshiko, I love you. More than anything in the world, and I can't think of a time where I have been more happy than right here, right now." Hoshiko smiled at him, "When we were kids, we grew so close so quickly, and now we're _hanbun tamashis_. We're half of each other's souls. And…" He sighed, "There's only one way I can think of that can join those two halves." He let go of one of her hands and got down on his knee. Hoshiko looked at him in surprise, her heart racing at the sight of him as he pulled something out of his pocket. He looked up at her and smiled. "Hoshiko," he opened his hand to reveal the betrothal necklace, "Will you marry me?" Hoshiko gasped excitedly and threw her arms around his neck.

"Yes," She said happily, "Of course I will." She felt really cheesy for saying that, but she didn't care as she planted a kiss on his lips and he happily returned it. When he pulled away, they were both wearing smiles that went from ear to ear. Kotaro put the necklace on her and she looked down at it with a smile, "It's beautiful, Kotaro."

"Made it myself." Kotaro said proudly. He kissed her cheek, "Come on, let's go to bed. We can tell everyone in the morning." Hoshiko nodded and they both stood up, heading back inside for the night.

* * *

**I have written over 500 pages for this. Oh. My. God. **

**This fic is ridiculous.**

**And don't think this is the end! There's still more to come!**


	44. One Year Later

44

_ One year later…_

Zuko jumped awake in his bed, looking around with wide, panicked eyes, "Who's there?!" He shouted. When he didn't get an immediate reply, he jumped out of the bed and ran to the door where two guards had been posted for his protection. They had eyes as wide as his when he suddenly opened it. "Someone's here! I feel it! Someone's trying to assassinate me!"

"Fire Lord, please. Go back to sleep." Said one of the guards, trying to calm him down, "We're in the most secure tower in the entire palace!"

"No one will get to you tonight, I assure you!" The other guard said.

"Just like no one got to you last night." The first guard said, "Or the night before that, or the night before that…" Zuko scowled and grabbed the first guard by the front of his collar.

"Do not mock me!" Zuko snapped, "There have already been five attempts on my life since I took the throne!"

"And that's why we moved you _here_!" The second guard said, trying to get the other guard out of the Fire Lord's hands, "Please, you have to trust—" He was cut off when something suddenly smacked him and the other guard in the heads, knocking them unconscious and throwing them to the floor. Zuko saw a figure moving in the shadows and blasted fire at them.

"Show yourself!" He shouted to the lone figure in the dark.

From behind him, he heard a feminine voice shout, "Down with the traitor! Down with the Fire Lord who betrays his own people!" Zuko turned around just in time to avoid the assassin's spiked weight as it crashed to where his feet had been just a moment ago. He got a better look at his assassin and could see that she was probably a young girl, not too much younger than him. She wore a mask and nothing but dark clothing. She grabbed her weight and Zuko blasted another shot of fire at her. With impressive flexibility, she avoided it and threw his weight. Zuko jumped back to dodge it, but it still knocked him on his back. He retaliated with a blast of fire that shot the girl back and a dark blob reached out from the shadows and grabbed her, pushing her to the ground. The girl grunted as she tried to get out of the shadowy grip, but it was no good. Zuko looked up to see who was responsible for helping him, although he already knew who it was. There was no one else in the palace that could shadow bend.

"What took you so long?" Zuko snapped at her.

Hoshiko frowned as she walked up the halls, dressed in her nightclothes just as Zuko was dressed in his, both sets made by the royal Fire Nation seamstresses. "It's the middle of the night, Zuko. Sometimes it takes me a while to get here in time for one of your little tantrums." Zuko scowled at her words.

"If it was anyone but you…" He growled. Hoshiko sighed.

"Sorry. I'm just tired." She said quickly. She came over to Zuko's side, still keeping the girl where she was with her shadow bending. Zuko ripped off the scarf she wore to hide her face to show she really was about as young as he was.

"Convince me not to take your life!" Zuko said, getting ready to shoot more fire if he had to.

"Go ahead!" The girl shouted at him, "My family has been loyal to yours for generations! By getting rid of me, you would simply complete your betrayal!"

"Your family?" Zuko questioned, lowering his hand.

"My father is the mayor of Yu Dao!" The girl said.

"Yu Dao… the first Fire Nation colony." Hoshiko muttered.

"Yes, my home!" The girl kept shouting, "And now you and the avatar are going to destroy it with your precious Harmony Restoration Movement!"

Hoshiko huffed out a breath, "She's going to be shouting all night long, isn't she?" She looked over at Zuko, "I'll take her to the prison hold. We'll take her back to Yu Dao in the morning."

"And you'll come back and guard my quarters." Zuko said. Hoshiko sighed tiredly, but nodded. Zuko had been assigning her to guard his room almost every night since the first attack, and that was well over a few months ago. She hadn't been getting enough sleep, so she ended up sleeping through the day, seriously messing up her body's intended sleep schedule. She pretty much expected Zuko to call for her in the middle of the night now. She was sad to say that she had gotten used to it. She dragged the girl away as Zuko went back to his room, preparing to sleep a little more.

* * *

Kotaro groaned when the light from the sun hit his eyes and turned over so he would be away from the window. He jumped when he felt the earth shake underneath him and someone pounded on his door.

"I know you're awake in there!" Toph's voice shouted from the other side, "Get up, Wolfy!" She pounded on the door some more and Kotaro groaned, tempted to just let her yell as he tried to sleep, "If you don't get up in the next ten seconds, I'll break the door down and drag you out!" Kotaro's eyes widened and he scrambled to get out of bed. "One…" Kotaro quickly ran to the door, "Ten!" He pulled it open just before Toph had a chance to break it down, and was rewarded with a rock to the gut that threw him back against the wall of his room. "Oh. You're awake."

Kotaro moaned in pain, holding the surely bruised part of his stomach. He looked up at Toph with a glare, "That… was _not_ ten seconds."

"Time is relative." Toph said with a shrug.

"You're such a little liar!" Kotaro shouted as he carefully stood up, still holding his middle. "I think you broke something… Ow."

"Just hurry and make some breakfast." Toph said, Kotaro walked out of the room, scowling at the blind girl.

"You know, I didn't agree to help you with your school so you could boss me around like a servant!" Kotaro snapped.

"You're the only one here who can cook!" Toph said, "Do you want me ask one of the lily livers to cook?" Kotaro sighed, remembering how that went last time.

"No, I'll do it." He muttered, heading over to where the kitchen was in Toph's metal bending school.

One year after the defeat of Ozai and the coronation of Fire Lord Zuko, Kotaro found himself separated from Hoshiko again. They announced their engagement the morning after Kotaro had proposed. Of course, everyone gave their congratulations and wished them a happy future. Immediately, Sokka decided to plan Kotaro's bachelor party, saying it would be a lot of fun, and Hoshiko was taken aside by Zuko for a moment to speak with him. Kotaro had talked to Sokka, telling him what he would like to see, and _not_ see at the bachelor party, and just when they had finished, Hoshiko came over to him with a worried look on her face.

"What's wrong, Hoshi?" He asked.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" She asked him. Kotaro nodded and they walked away from the group to go outside where they could have a little privacy. "Kota, you know Zuko's heading back to the Fire Nation tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah." Kotaro said.

"And you know how, given that he's the new Fire Lord," Hoshiko continued, "He's going to have to deal with his father's supporters." Kotaro nodded, "And you know a lot of them aren't going to like him."

"Where are you going with this?" Kotaro asked.

"Zuko asked me to go back to the Fire Nation with him as his personal guard." Hoshiko said.

"What?!"

"He's worried he's going to be met with a lot of hate back in the Fire Nation, and you _know_ he will!" Hoshiko said quickly, "He said he wasn't sure he could trust all of his guards back at the palace. He wants someone he trusts to look after him."

Kotaro frowned, "Hoshiko, we _just_ got engaged."

"It won't be for too long, I promise." Hoshiko said, "Just, maybe a few months. Just until the heat dies down and Zuko isn't so worried. Then I'll come right back to you, I swear. We can plan the wedding and everything." She took his hands, "Please, Kotaro? I'll send you letters as often as I can." Kotaro looked at her, seeing that she was just as worried about this as Zuko probably was. And why wouldn't she be? Zuko's new position as Fire Lord was crucial to making sure the Harmony Restoration movement succeeded and peace was constant throughout the Four Nations. He sighed.

"Every moment you have free time, I want you writing those letters." He said. Hoshiko smiled and kissed him.

"Thank you, Kotaro." She said.

And here he was now, an entire year later, with the only contact to his future wife being the letters they exchanged to each other. He had somehow gotten roped into helping Toph with her metal bending school, which only had three students at the moment. He was the main caretaker, meaning he took care of the cooking, cleaning, and making sure the students didn't do anything stupid. It was Toph's job to train them (and yell at them) and make sure they became the metal benders she wanted them to be.

He grunted as he stood up straight, getting to work on making breakfast. He felt the ground rumble beneath him as Toph woke up her other students with her earth bending.

Yep. Just another normal day at the Beifong Academy of Metal Bending.

* * *

Hoshiko walked through the city of Yu Dao with Zuko, who was dressed in his royal Fire Lord attire. She was simply dressed in a soldier's uniform, but hers was more of a purplish color to signify that she wasn't of the army, just Zuko's personal guard. She also hated wearing red.

It didn't take long for them to come across a palanquin, where a man suddenly shouted, "Stop! Stop!" The man ran out and the girl assassin ran to his open arms. "Kori! Where have you been?! Your mother and I were worried sick!" The man was middle aged, dressed in official Fire Nation attire. He looked at his daughter's appearance, taking in the fact that she was surrounded by soldiers and cuffed, "Wait—who are these men?! What are these chains?!"

"I went to go see someone about our _problem_, father." Kori said.

"Who?" He asked.

Kori glared over her shoulder, "_Him_."

The mayor jumped when he realized who the soldiers were with, "F-Fire Lord Zuko!"

"You must be Mayor Morishita." Zuko said. He scowled, "Your daughter snuck into my home and tried to kill me!"

"Kori?!" Mayor Morishita exclaimed, shocked that his daughter would do such a thing.

"_Someone_ had to do _something_!" Kori growled at Zuko.

The mayor prostrated himself before the Fire Lord, "My sincerest apologies for my daughter's rash behavior, Fire Lord! Have mercy!"

"I should have this whole place burned down!" Zuko growled at him.

"Why bother?" Kori snapped, stepping towards him. "The Harmony Restoration movement will accomplish the same thing without you having to lift a finger!"

Hoshiko stepped up and pushed the girl back from Zuko, "Why can't you colonials understand? The Harmony Restoration movement is a means to _peace_!"

"P-Peace?!" Mayor Morishita stood up and faced the Fire Lord, "Peace for _whom?_! With all due respect, Your Majesty, my family has lived on this land for generations! This city was built on our blood and sweat! We have as much a right to be here as anyone else!"

"You're Fire Nation citizens! You should live in the Fire Nation!" Zuko said.

"You're right, Fire Lord." Morishita said, "We _are_ Fire Nation citizens! And I'll tell you this—_Your father_," Hoshiko took in a sharp breath at the mention of Zuko's father and frantically shook her head, making a sharp, cutting motion at her neck to signal him to stop, but he wouldn't, "Would never have let the avatar and the Earth King bully him into something so obviously bad for his own citizens!" Hoshiko groaned and slapped her hand to her head at the man's ignorance towards her signals. Zuko's father was always a touchy subject, even more so after his coronation, when people would compare his reign as Fire Lord to Ozai's. Zuko used to just snap at people, reminding them of his power as Fire Lord to get them to shut up, but his reactions were becoming much more violent lately…

"My father…?" Zuko growled, glaring fiercely at the man. Before Hoshiko could react, Zuko had already blasted a huge fire ball at the man.

"Zuko!" Hoshiko exclaimed as he grabbed the mayor by his shirt collar and pushed him up against the wall of a nearby building, his fist still burning with an orange flame.

"I'm not my father!" Zuko shouted at him.

"No, young man. You're not." The mayor said, surprisingly calm given the situation, "Fire Lord Ozai had many faults, but he was never a _coward_. He was never a _traitor._"

"You'll regret saying that, old man!" Zuko growled, "Seize him!" Hoshiko bent up two shadowy streams and whipped them out around the mayor's wrists. Before the other guards had a chance to grab him, a huge slab of earth shot up, breaking the shadows and blocking the guards away from the mayor. Zuko whirled around to see a middle aged woman dressed in Earth Kingdom attire, "Who—?"

"Fire Lord, please! Forgive my husband's foolishness!" The woman begged, "I've told him time and time again to control his tongue, but he never does!"

"_You're_ Mayor Morishita's wife?!" Hoshiko exclaimed, looking at her.

"An earth bender…?" Zuko murmured.

"Yes, I'm an earth bender." She said, "As is our daughter." She made another motion with her hands and a sharp spear of earth shot out to break the chains around Kori's wrists. Once they were free, she used her bending to grab her weighted weapon from around one of the guard's waists.

"I may be an earth bender, but through my father's bloodline, I am a Fire Nation citizen!" Kori said, "My father taught me to always be loyal to the Fire Nation, to _my people_. Something you obviously never learned from _your_ father."

The mayor's wife bowed respectfully to Zuko, "Would Your Majesty be willing to stay in Yu Dao for a few days? It would be an honor for us to show the Fire Lord our way of life."

Zuko looked over at Hoshiko, asking for her opinion, and she shrugged. Zuko turned back to the mayor's wife and said, "We'll stay."

* * *

"Guys! Lunch!" Kotaro hollered out to where the students were supposed to be practicing for Toph. They were trying to practice, but it was a bit difficult for them to get started. He wasn't sure why Toph had picked those three students in particular. The oldest of the bunch was… well, he never got his actual name, but he just liked to be called The Dark One. He had a very depressing personality, and seemed to hate just about everything that was ever mentioned in his presence. The second oldest was a larger boy named Ho Tun. He was only younger than The Dark One by about two months, but he was still younger. He was also easily worried. Almost every day he spoke of impending doom, and the only day that he didn't was the day that he had first showed up. The youngest of them was Penga. She was a girl that came from a rich family, so she was a little spoiled. She wanted a lot of things and she normally got them, mostly shoes.

The three of them went over to where Kotaro had made some stew for them. Ho Tun and The Dark One were over there easily enough, grabbing a bowl. "How is it going so far?"

"She's really drilling us today." Ho Tun said.

"I hate drills." The Dark One said.

"You hate everything." Kotaro replied. He noticed the only girl in the school wasn't there and he saw that Penga was over by the window of the school building. "Penga, come on. If you don't eat your lunch, you're not going to make it through the afternoon." Kotaro called to her.

She looked back over at the others, "Come look! There's a crowd at the city gates below!" She cried, pointing to the town of Yu Dao that rested below the mountain where the school was located. The three boys went over to see that a crowd had gathered down there, all of them shouting something and holding up signs, but they were too far away for any of them to hear what they were saying. "I wanna know what's happening!"

"Whatever it is, it's bad!" Ho Tun exclaimed worriedly, "The city's probably doomed! _We're_ probably doomed!"

"I hate doom." The Dark One sighed.

Kotaro looked down at the crowd curiously, wondering what had caused all of them to gather.

They were all suddenly thrown up into the air by the ground beneath them and landed in a pile before Toph. "How are you lily livers gonna learn metal bending by staring out a window?! Get back to practice!" She shouted at them.

"Sifu Toph!" Ho Tun exclaimed when he saw her.

"Seriously, Toph?" Kotaro groaned, "That's the second time today."

"Oh, suck it up. It's not like it's the first time I've accidently thrown you." Toph said.

"Hmph. 'Accidentally'…" Kotaro muttered, getting to his feet.

"Something's happening in Yu Dao," Penga told Toph, "And I wanna know what!"

"It's bad! So bad! I'm too young for doom!" Ho Tun exclaimed.

"I hate being young." The Dark One muttered.

Toph went over to the window, listening as she heard the incomprehensible shouts of the crowd below.

"My parents live down there!" Penga said, "Who's gonna buy me new shoes if anything happens to them?!"

"_All_ our parents live in Yu Dao!" Ho Tun exclaimed, "And they're all doomed!"

"Huh. You lily livers are right." Toph said, "Something _is_ happening in Yu Dao. I can hear it."

Kotaro looked out the window at the crowd. The pair of them heard a familiar roaring and looked up to see a very familiar flying bison. "It's Appa!" He said. He and Toph ran outside to see if they could catch up to the beast.

"We'll be back soon!" Toph said as she and Kotaro ran by the window, "Stay put and do your forms! If you don't, you're really gonna get it when I get back!"

"I wanna go with you!" Penga whined.

"I just don't wanna be doomed!" Ho Tun exclaimed.

"I hate you guys." The Dark One grumbled.

The pair of them ran off from the school, doing their best to try and get the attention of whoever was sitting in Appa's saddle, but it didn't do any good. They kept running, and Kotaro began to slow down when he saw they were approaching a cliff. Toph grabbed his shirt by the collar and forced him to run with her as she went to the cliff's edge and used her earth bending to launch them both into the air. Kotaro screamed, his limbs flailing as they soared through the air, landing in Appa's saddle with a loud _whump!_

Toph landed on her feet, and Kotaro landed on his stomach, the fur on his tail standing high on end from the sudden launching. Katara and Sokka turned around and the surprise they had on their faces quickly turned to smiles as they saw who it was that had come.

"Toph!" Katara cried, going over to the blind earth bender.

"Kotaro!" Sokka cried, going over to the partially frozen Shinjun. The two of them were embraced by the sibling pair and they began to relax.

"Hey guys!" Toph greeted.

"It's good to see you again." Kotaro said.

"I can't believe how long it's been!" Katara said, embracing the Shinjun.

"I missed you, too!" Toph said, accepting an embrace from Sokka.

Kotaro pulled back from the water bender and looked at his tail, scowling at how puffed up it had become. He turned to Toph, "Next time you launch us into the air, could you _please _give me some warning?!"

Toph shrugged and Kotaro rolled his eyes at her, reaching over and smoothing down the fur on his tail.

"How've you been, Kotaro?" Katara asked as they settled down.

"Oh, you know," He began, "Just working hard for the most _insane teacher in existence_!" He directed that last part to Toph, who only stuck out her tongue in response. Kotaro turned back to Katara, "Do you know how many times I've had to fix my door because she kept busting it down in the mornings?"

"Well you wouldn't get up!" Toph said.

"That doesn't mean you can break down the entire building!" Kotaro snapped.

"_Ugh_! You were more fun when you weren't working for me." Toph groaned, pouting. Sokka and Katara shared glances, silently telling the other how awkward it was for them to see this.

"Hey, I heard you started your own metal bending school!" Sokka said, successfully changing the subject.

"The Beifong Metal Bending Academy!" Toph said, smiling at the mention of her school, "You guys just flew over it!"

"I saw Appa flying by, so we had to come and say hello." Kotaro said, also happy for the change of subject.

"Wow! Your own school!" Sokka breathed, looking over the saddle at the building below, "How's that going?"

"Meh." Toph replied with and indifferent shrug.

"I'm so glad you guys are here." Katara said, "Aang needs all the support he can get right now, because of he might have to—"

"Hey, where is Twinkle Toes, anyway?" Toph asked. Sokka pointed to Appa's head and they saw Aang sitting there, holding a necklace of meditation beads in his hands, eyes closed and seeming to be very focused. "Oh. There he is."

"Zuko's changed his mind about the Harmony Restoration Movement." Katara said.

"What?" Kotaro turned to her, "You've got to be kidding!"

Sokka shook his head, "He's holed himself up in Yu Dao with a bunch of his soldiers. He won't let anyone in or out. That's where we're headed."

"So that's what's going on!" Toph said, "The lily livers— I mean, my students were talking about it. Zuko's starting to act like his old man Ozai then."

"No. We don't know that yet." Sokka said quickly.

"But Aang's meditating on what he might have to do because of the promise he made." Katara said.

"There's no way Hoshiko would stay under Zuko's command if he was starting to act like Ozai." Kotaro said, "I bet she's there talking some sense into him."

"Let's hope so." Katara said as Appa flew further down to the town's gates. They could clearly hear what the crowd was shouting, holding up various signs that said the same thing. Once they landed, Aang came out of his meditative state and happily greeted Kotaro and Toph as Katara and Sokka went to survey the crowd.

"Fire Nation out! Harmony now! Fire Nation out! Harmony now!" They chanted. Among the crowd, they spotted the familiar faces of Smellerbee, Longshot, and Sneers.

"Isn't that Smellerbee?" Katara asked, pointing to where she sat atop Longshot's shoulders.

"Yeah, he's with the Freedom Fighters!" Sokka said.

Katara quirked an eyebrow at him, "'She' you mean. _She's_ with the Freedom Fighters."

"That's what I said." Sokka said irritably, "She's with the Freedom Fighters."

Aang, Toph, and Kotaro came closer to where they were standing and the crowd took notice of them.

"Look everybody! It's the avatar!" Smellerbee cried happily. The crowd cheered, chanting Aang's name. Aang greeted them with a slightly awkward smile and a wave, not entirely prepared for that kind of greeting. Smellerbee hopped down from Longshot's shoulders and went up to him, "Aang! We were hoping you would come! So what's the plan of attack? The Freedom Fighters are at your service!"

"I appreciate your confidence, Smellerbee," Aang began, "But I really just want to talk to Zuko."

"What?!" Smellerbee snapped, very upset at the idea, "The time for talking was over as soon as the Fire Lord broke with the Harmony Restoration Movement!" She glared back at where the Fire Nation soldiers were standing guard at the gate of the city, "Besides, you're not getting into that city without a fight! Fire Nation troops are everywhere!"

"We'll break open a new gate for you! Just say the word!" Sneers said, cracking his knuckles.

"That won't be necessary, Sneers." Aang said quickly, "We'll find a way in." He held up his staff and turned to Katara, "You ready, Sweetie?"

She turned to him with a smile, "I'm ready, Sweetie."

Aang flipped out the wings of his glider and grabbed Katara around her waist with one hand while his other went to grab one of the handles. Katara's hand grabbed the other handle and her free hand secured itself on Aang's shoulders. Aang created a sudden gust of wind that shot the couple up into the air and over the wall of the city of Yu Dao and shocking the guards with their sudden infiltration. They were stunned as they saw them glide right over their heads and over the wall. It took them a moment to gather themselves once the pair had disappeared and they quickly sent in one to go and warn other guards of the 'infiltration'.

The crowd looked at the space where the couple had been as a soft breeze flew around them, an after-effect of Aang's air bending. They were all silent for a moment, the chanting stopped in hopes that the avatar would resolve the problem.

"'Sweetie'?" Toph echoed dryly, "Seriously?"

"I know, right?" Sokka said in agreement, "_Sooo_ oogie."

* * *

The couple landed safely on the other side of the gate, a safe distance away from the guard who had been sent in to warn the others of their arrival. It wasn't long until they were 'greeted' by a small platoon of Fire Nation soldiers. It was very clear that they weren't welcoming the avatar into the city, and Katara took a fighting stance. Aang remained still, placing his hands together in front of him and he smiled amicably as he greeted them with a, "Flamio, hotmen!"

The lead soldier, who was the only one not wearing a helmet, came in front of the monk, "This city is under the protection of the Fire Lord himself! No one may enter without his express permission, not even the avatar! _Leave now_."

With an air of calmness, Aang said, "Please, I'd like to talk to Fire Lord Zuko. That's all."

The man scowled and took a fighting stance, "You were warned." He growled. He shot a ball of fire at him, and Aang jumped high in the air to avoid it. When he landed, the man tried to burn him with a flaming kick, but again Aang easily avoided it. After all the fighting he did with other Fire Nation soldiers and Ozai himself, this kind of fighting seemed almost like child's play. He stomped his foot into the ground and lifted up his fist in his earth bending stance, making it so the earth beneath the man's feet would capture him and hold him stationary without hurting him.

"I don't want to fight!" He said.

The other soldiers looked at where their commanding officer was trapped fearfully, none of them wanting to go up against the avatar.

"What are you dolts waiting for?!" The leading officer snapped, "_Attack!_"

They did as they were ordered and many soldiers began throwing fire at him. Aang deftly avoided each one with his air bending, even though many came close to seriously burning him. Katara, getting worried for her new significant other, called out his name in worry, "Aang!"

Aang only smiled at her as he avoided another blow, "Don't worry, Sweetie! I can handle them! Just give me a sec!" He called. He jumped down to avoid another fire ball and jumped up to avoid three more.

They were going to continue their onslaught on the avatar, when a huge wall of blackness came up and separated Aang and Katara from the soldiers. "That's enough!" A voice cried. The soldiers all backed down and Aang and Katara turned to see Hoshiko, dressed in Fire Nation armor, although hers was more of a purple shade than red. Her hair had grown out some over the past year, and was not long enough for her to pin back into a stylish bun. There was also the faint trace of bags under her eyes from a lack of sleep. She scowled as she went over to the man who had been the commanding officer of the small platoon and used her shadow bending to yank him out of the small earth trap Aang had made, "Lieutenant! I do not recall giving you permission to command this group in my absence!" The man became flustered and looked a little ashamed when he heard her yelling at him.

"Commander, I was just…" He stopped when Hoshiko held up her hand.

"I don't want to hear it." She snapped, "I will deal with you at another time." She turned around to face Aang and Katara, "There are more pressing matters to deal with at the moment."

The pair smiled at the sight of their friend, "It's so good to see you, Hoshiko!" Aang said, walking over to embrace her. She smiled and returned the gesture to him and Katara.

"Yes, it's good to see you guys, too." She said, the smile disappeared, "I'm sorry about my men." She sent a small glare to the Lieutenant, "They still have to go through some sensitivity training. The war is over and they need to know that not every person that breaks a rule is out to start a battle." She looked back at them, "And as great as it would be to catch up with you, I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave Yu Dao immediately."

"What?!" Aang exclaimed, surprised to hear this.

"My lieutenant may be a bit of a hot-head, but he was right." Hoshiko said, "This city is under the protection of Fire Lord Zuko, and no one can enter without his permission."

"You're not serious!" Aang said, he took a few steps towards her, "I just want to talk to— Ahh!" He jumped back when Hoshiko bent up a dark spear of shadow, aimed at Aang's chest.

"Don't make me fight you, Aang." She warned, "I don't want to have to force you out."

"Hoshiko, we're _friends_!" Katara said, "Are you _really_ going to force us out of this city?!"

"If I have to." Hoshiko said, she made a motion with her hand and turned the shadowy spear into a shadowy ball that hovered above her hand.

"We're not leaving until we talk to Zuko!" Aang said firmly. Hoshiko sighed.

"Fine. If that's how you want it." She said. She threw the ball at Aang and he jumped back, avoiding it just as it opened up, creating six long arms that were going to entrap him. He looked at Hoshiko with wide eyes, watching as she took another fighting stance. She created a wave of shadow and he jumped back from it. She made slashing motions with her hands, creating an X shape as she fired off projectiles at him. Aang made sure to avoid each one, being very careful. One of the sharp projectiles managed to nick his arm with a small scar, but he was on too much of an adrenaline rush from the fight to feel it as it began to bleed.

"Aang, you're bleeding!" Katara cried, pointing to it.

"What'd you say?" Aang asked, keeping his focus on Hoshiko as she created a shadow octopus form.

"Your arm, it's—" Katara sighed, "Oh, for crying out loud!" She used her water and moved it over Aang's wound to quickly heal it.

"Oh! Thanks!" Aang said once the scar was healed. He jumped back when Hoshiko used her shadow bending to sever the watery tendril that had been tending to Aang's wound.

Katara glared at her, "That's it!" She bent up a huge amount of water from a nearby fountain, "Stop," She shot the water at Hoshiko, and she quickly avoided it, although her men weren't so lucky and a couple of them got pushed back into the wall, "Trying," Katara froze the water around the soldiers, keeping them pinned to the wall as she, "To," She shot another stream of water at Hoshiko, and again she avoided it at the expense of the soldiers, whose feet became frozen to the ground, "Hurt," Katara made some snow and shot huge snowballs at Hoshiko, and she avoided all but one that hit her in the shoulder, but she kept moving. The rest of her men got hit with a snow pile and fell to the ground, "My," She shot a stinging stream of water at her, and she avoided it, although another soldier got whipped in the face, "Boyfriend!" Katara shot two orbs of water at Hoshiko and managed to get one around the end of her tail, and froze it. Hoshiko squealed at the sudden cold, and the weight of the ice on her tail made it difficult for her to avoid Katara's second wave of water that froze her feet to the pavement of the ground.

Once it was over, Katara stood with her hands on her hips, almost all of the soldiers no longer able to fight her and Hoshiko trapped in ice.

"Whoa." Aang breathed, amazed at the damage his girlfriend could do.

Katara turned to him, "Aang, you're okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Aang said.

One of the soldiers who was still able to move created a plume of fire in his hands and let out a battle cry as he ran to attack Aang. Katara created icicles with the remaining water and got ready to fire them at the soldier as she shouted, "_Can't you people give it a rest?! He just wants to talk_!"

The man backed up at the sight of the sharp icicles, his flame dying as he moved to avoid the oncoming projectiles. Before they had a chance to hit, someone grabbed Katara's wrists and held her still in a very awkward position. He wore his Fire Lord robes, his hair pulled back in the traditional topknot style. The dark circles under his eyes, made it clear that he hadn't been getting much sleep.

"Katara! Stop!" Zuko said, keeping a firm grip on the water bender as her icicles crashed the ground.

She struggled against his hold, "Let go, Zuko! You're hurting me! Don't make me hurt you back!"

"_I'm_ hurting _you?_!" Zuko said, "What are you doing to my soldiers?! _My people?_!"

"Let go of her, Zuko!" Aang ordered, "She said you're hurting her!"

"First, she has to agree to stop attacking my people!" Zuko said.

"Your soldiers attacked first!" Aang shouted, getting very aggravated with him, "_Let her go now!_"

"I am the Fire Lord!" Zuko said, "I have to protect the citizens of the Fire Nation!"

Aang sucked in a huge breath and shot it back out with his air bending, blowing Zuko back and away from Katara. In retaliation, Zuko used his fire bending against him. Aang was quick to defend himself with water bending.

"I came here to talk to you, Zuko! As a friend!" Aang shouted as the fire's heat was quenched by his watery shields, "But you've changed! You've forgotten what we fought for!" His eyes and tattoos began to glow and he began to enter the avatar state. His voice mended with the voices of his past lives as he spoke, "**Maybe Avatar Roku is right. Maybe a promise is a promise.**"

Everyone watched with wide eyes as his air bending became more powerful, creating a huge orb around him, the wind moving fast enough to lift him up into the air.

"Aang! Stop!" Katara shouted over the wind, "If you enter the avatar state in such an emotional way, you won't be able to control yourself!" She moved closer to him, putting her hands on his face, "You have to calm down. Please, Sweetie. For me." Slowly, the wind began to die down, and Aang was calm. Exhausted from the sudden use of power, Aang leaned against Katara.

Hoshiko used her shadow bending to cut through the ice that Katara had trapped her in. She went over to where Zuko had been knocked down from Aang's wind and helped him up. Aang came over, still leaning on Katara with an ashamed look on his face.

"I can't believe it." He said, "I might've done something terrible without even thinking it through. I'm so—"

"Katara's right." Zuko said, cutting through his apology, "We _both_ need to calm down. And talk."

Aang's eyes widened in disbelief, "Are you kidding me?! _That's what I wanted in the first place!_!"

* * *

**Ta-da! A late Christmas present for you guys!**


	45. The City of Yu Dao

45

Katara and Aang walked just behind Hoshiko and Zuko as they moved through the city. The buildings were designed in an interesting mix of both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. From the roof down, the buildings were in the usual Fire Nation design, with red bricks and many screened windows, but instead of having the usual metal-plated roofs, they were made of stone, like those in the Earth Kingdom. "Did you know Yu Dao is the oldest of all the colonies?" Zuko asked them, "Many of the Fire Nation families immigrated here over a hundred years ago, when Yu Dao was just a tiny village at the bottom of a valley."

"They worked together with the Earth people who already lived here and built all that you see." Hoshiko said as they approached a metal-workings shop, "Now Yu Dao is now the best place to buy metalwork because it's made with both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom expertise." They looked in to see a man of the Fire Nation directing a much younger Earth Kingdom man on how to create a proper sword as he banged away on the metal. "People pay big money for that kind of work, and it's made Yu Dao one of the richest cities in the world."

Katara looked across the street to see an Earth Kingdom boy shining the shoes of a man from the Fire Nation, "It doesn't seem like the Fire Nation citizens and the Earth Kingdom citizens share equally in that wealth." She said.

"It's not perfect, Katara, but all the city's people, including the Earth Kingdom people, are better off now than they were a hundred years ago." Zuko said.

"The history lesson is great and all, but none of it matters!" Aang said, "By betraying the Harmony Restoration Movement, you're going to start another war!"

"Look, Aang," Zuko turned to him, "When I came here a week ago, I had planned to _personally_ enforce the removal of Yu Dao from the Earth Kingdom! But then…" He trailed off.

"Something unexpected happened." Hoshiko said, "We were returning an assassin to this town, back to her family, and Zuko kind of got into a fight with her father, the mayor. Zuko was about to rest the both of them, but the mayor's wife, who was an earth bender, begged us to forgive them and asked us to stay for a few days to see what Yu Dao was like."

"So I stayed." Zuko said, "I saw what my people had created here. I saw what the Harmony Restoration Movement would _destroy_. I changed my mind. Ever since my coronation, I've had trouble finding _peace_. Now I think I've finally figured out why. I'd forgotten about _my people_." He turned to Aang, "I know you defeated the Fire Nation, Aang, but my people still deserve respect!"

"_I_ defeated the Fire _Nation?_!" Aang exclaimed, "You mean _we_ defeated the Fire _Lord_!"

"It'd be disrespectful to take them from the life they spent generations building!" Zuko said, "I won't let you do it!"

"_Harmony_ requires _four separate nations_ to balance each other out!" Aang snapped, "You can't have balance if one nation occupies another!"

Katara glanced back behind her and saw Kori with her parents, who were watching the conversation between the two leaders. She stared at them for a moment, realizing just how important this town was to them.

"Maybe Yu Dao can be an exception." She suggested quietly.

"What?!" Aang whirled around to her with wide eyes.

"It's just a thought." Katara said with a sheepish smile and a shrug.

"Exceptions should be made for _all_ the remaining colonies!" Zuko said,

Hoshiko nodded in agreement, "Most of these colonies have been around for over a hundred years. They're older than you, Aang!"

"You have _got_ to be joking." Aang said, "That would make peace _impossible_!"

"Well, regardless, the Earth King needs to be a part of whatever happens next." Katara said, she turned to the Fire Lord, "If Aang and I can arrange a meeting, will you be there, Zuko?"

Zuko nodded, "I'll be there."

Aang looked a little disgruntled since Zuko hadn't immediately agreed to rejoin the Harmony Restoration Movement, but he shrugged it off and said, "Talking's good. I guess."

The two girls smiled at the pair of boys, "Good, then let's get you two over the wall again." Hoshiko said, putting her hand on Aang and Katara's shoulders. She nodded to Zuko, and he returned the gesture before walking away.

"Where's he going?" Aang asked.

"Since there's no need for him to stay in Yu Dao anymore, we'll be heading back to the Fire Nation. He's got a lot of work that needs to be done." Hoshiko said, "He's still working hard to rebuild the school's education system, and working on a few programs to help the lower-class citizens of the nation. Before the actual work gets done, there's paperwork to be filled out, so…" She shrugged and the three of them walked towards the wall. "I know the way we met today wasn't… what a normal person would like, but how have you two been?"

"Other than today, it's been pretty good." Katara said, taking Aang's hand in her own. Hoshiko smiled gently at the sight, although there was a small sting of pain in her heart when she was reminded of how she was separated from the one she loved.

"Have you… heard from Kotaro about anything?" Hoshiko asked tentatively.

"He's just outside the wall if you want to talk to him." Aang said. Hoshiko's eyes widened.

"He is?" She looked at the wall, her eyes downcast. She was quiet for a moment, thinking, then sighed, "Tell him I said 'hello'… and 'I love you'." She turned to them, "I need to get ready to head back to the Fire Nation to look after Zuko. I also can't leave the city without Zuko's permission, and I don't want these soldiers to think I get special privileges just because I'm his friend. They're already giving me a hard time because of my heritage." The couple nodded and Aang opened his glider, "I'll make sure the soldiers don't fire on you when you fly over." They thanked her and bid their goodbyes as they took off. As the soldiers looked at them, she shouted, "Hold your fire! They're friends!"

* * *

Outside the wall, the crowd was getting anxious about the amount of time it was taking for Aang to return.

"What's the taking the avatar so long?" One person shouted out.

"The Fire Lord's probably captured him!" Another exclaimed.

"We have to go in and save the avatar from those ash makers!" A third one cried.

Seeing how riled the people were getting, Sokka moved in front of them and shouted to them, "Everybody calm down! Avatar Aang can handle himself! The best thing for us to do right now is wait!"

The crowd did not agree with him.

"Get outta our way, you Water Tribe Savage!" Someone shouted, tossing a rock at his head.

"Hey!" Kotaro snarled, a wolf-like growl working its way through his voice.

"That's it!" Toph shouted, earth bending a pedestal that held her above all of those in the crowd, "_Don't you dunderheads know who I am?! I am Toph Beifong, the greatest earth bender of all time! When my friend tells you to calm down, you CALM DOWN!_" She earth bended a huge boulder from her pedestal, and Kotaro's fingers twitched, sparks flying from the tips and he held up his hands, ready to fire if needed. "_The next person to throw anything – or say anything – Gets a boulder straight to the noggin! And a good lightning bolt to the heart! GOT IT?!_" The crowd was instantly quieted, staring up at the giant boulder, and at the glaring Shinjun who was ready to fry them with lightning. Toph smirked, "Now that's more like it."

Sokka wasn't about to let Toph get away as the only tough one in their group, "Good thing you listened to her, folks! I was about to bust out Mr. Boomerang! _Whack-a-pow_!" He pulled out his boomerang with an impressive flourish as Toph and Kotaro lowered their threatening poses.

"Ooooh! 'Mr. Boomerang'! Soooo scary!" One of the members in the crowd mocked. The man found himself on the ground a moment later after being hit with Sokka's boomerang.

A whoosh of wind caught everyone's attention as they saw Aang and Katara glide over the wall and down to the ground.

"So what happened?" Sokka asked urgently, going up to them.

"Did you have to… do it?" Toph asked tentatively.

"Do what?" Smellerbee asked.

"Kill the Fire Lord." Kotaro answered.

"You _killed_ the Fire Lord?" Smellerbee asked, surprised.

"No, no!" Aang said quickly.

"So, what's going on, then?" Smellerbee asked, "What are we supposed to do now?"

"Katara and I are going to visit the Earth King to try and arrange a meeting." Aang said, "Can you please tell the protesters to go home? We need more time to figure out a solution, Smellerbee. All this shouting won't help."

Smellerbee was quiet, thinking for a moment. She looked back up at him, "The Earth Kingdom has waited for over a hundred years to be rid of those ash-makers. We'll give you three days, avatar Aang. After that, the Freedom Fighters will figure out a solution of our _own_."

"_That_ sounds pleasant." Kotaro said sarcastically. Smellerbee shot him a glare as she went back to get the protesters away from the gate, relaying what Aang had told them to get them to leave. Kotaro turned to the monk, "How did it go in there? Any serious problems?"

"Only that Zuko's very set on keeping out of the Harmony Restoration Movement." Katara said. "We saw Hoshiko. She's supporting him on this." Kotaro's eyes widened in shock.

"She's _what?_!"

* * *

The little group sat on Appa's saddle as they flew over the Earth Kingdom, planning on dropping off Toph and Kotaro at the Beifong Metal Bending Academy before going to see King Kuei. Katara and Aang had told the others everything that had happened when they 'infiltrated' Yu Dao, and what they were told.

"I don't totally get why you two need to talk to the Earth King." Toph admitted as she lay back in the saddle, "Zuko knows what he's doing is wrong, doesn't he? The Fire Nation colonies have got to go!"

"It's complicated, Toph." Katara said gently, "There are… a lot of… _issues_ involved."

"Plus, talking's always good. Right?" Aang asked. No one answered him, as they were still trying to understand what happened to cause Zuko to pull back from the Harmony Restoration Movement. Aang sighed and turned Katara, "Sweetie, when we were back there… Thank you for not letting me do something I'd regret."

"If you ever have to… you know… fulfill your promise… You can't let it happen like that." Katara said, "You have to be calm enough to know you're making the right decision." She embraced him, "I just hate seeing you get like that, Sweetie."

"Um, Aang? Katara? You're giving me the oogies over here." Sokka called, ruining their moment.

Katara turned to him with her face flushed in anger, "Aargh! I am so sick of hearing about your stupid _'oogies,'_ Sokka! I don't even know what that means!"

"I can explain." Toph said quickly, "Give me your hand."

Katara did so with a skeptical brow raised. Toph stuck out her tongue and licked her hand. Katara shuddered in disgust at the feeling of Toph's saliva-drenched tongue making contact with her skin and she cried out, "_Oogie!_!" And jerked her hand away, wiping off the saliva with a grimace.

"So, did Hoshiko say she was going to stay in Yu Dao?" Kotaro asked.

"No, Hoshiko said that they were planning on going home, and since Hoshiko is Zuko's bodyguard, she kinda has to go with him." Aang said.

Kotaro's eyes widened, "Did you tell her I was outside the walls?" The pair nodded.

"She said that she didn't want to make it seem like Zuko was playing favorites, so she stayed within the walls, like he had ordered." Katara said.

Kotaro slumped against the saddle with a sigh, "Not even to see me? I'm her _future husband_, for Spirits' sake!" Katara shrugged in response. Kotaro scowled and glared at a corner of the saddle, no longer wanting to talk about the subject.

* * *

Hoshiko grunted as she hiked up the pathway that led to the palace. She and Zuko had returned only an hour ago, and since the Fire Lord was needed back at the palace for some reason, he got a carriage ride back. Leaving her alone to hike up the huge side of the mountain of the dormant volcano where the palace was comfortably nested. She looked beside her as she heard the sound of clawed feet hitting the earth and saw a carriage being pulled by two ostrich horses coming up beside her. The carriage slowed a little and stopped. Hoshiko paused, wondering if there was someone inside that wanted to speak to her, and the window opened to reveal a familiar face.

"Mai." She greeted, nodding at the weapons-expert. She returned the nod, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Zuko." Mai replied, "I heard he just got back from the Earth Kingdom."

"Zuko went up to the palace about an hour ago." Hoshiko said. Mai sighed exasperatedly, leaning back in her seat. There was a pause where Hoshiko considered leaving, but Mai opened up the door to the carriage.

"Get in. I'm taking you to the palace." She said. Hoshiko stepped in, shutting the door behind her.

"Thanks." She said, sitting down on the bench across from Mai, who had a deep scowl on her face. It was pretty easy to guess what she was thinking, "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you aren't exactly pleased Zuko left in the first place."

"No, I'm not." Mai said, "And I'm not 'exactly pleased' that he left without telling me anything."

"Originally, we left to Yu Dao to enforce the Harmony Restoration Movement." Hoshiko said, "He probably didn't think you needed to know."

"Last I heard he was trying to soothe a mob outside of the village gates." Mai said with a frown.

"Yeah… we kinda got caught up in some stuff." Hoshiko said, awkwardly scratching the back of her head. "Now Zuko knows what kind of damage the Harmony Restoration Movement can do, and he's not happy about it."

Mai kept frowning, "He could have at least sent me a letter about it."

"He's the Fire Lord, Mai." Hoshiko said, trying to defend him, "He's got a lot on his plate right now. He might not be able to get a letter to you that easily." Mai sighed.

"I know, I just wish…" She trailed off, "He hasn't exactly opened up to me since he became Fire Lord. It's like I'm not even his girlfriend anymore."

"Mai, Zuko really cares about you." Hoshiko said gently, "Being the ruler of a nation is just… getting to him. He's stressful, and I'm sure a visit from you would heal that." Mai looked up at her, and Hoshiko gave her a small grin. She didn't return it, but Mai's frown was no longer as deep as it was before. She was much calmer now.

"Speaking of boyfriends, how's yours?" Mai asked.

"Fiancé, you mean." Hoshiko corrected, "And last I heard, he was doing well. He's working at Toph's metal bending school."

"Toph…?" Mai trailed off unsurely.

"The blind earth bender." Hoshiko said, Mai nodded, the memory of who she was reaching her mind. "The school's near Yu Dao, actually."

"Did you get to see him?" Mai asked. Hoshiko frowned.

"Um… No, I didn't." She said softly, "Zuko wanted protection in the city… I was too busy to see him." Mai stared at her for a moment.

"You really want to see him, huh?" She asked.

"It's been an entire year since I last had a face-to-face conversation with him," Hoshiko said, "Of course I want to see him!"

"So why didn't you?" Mai asked, "I'm pretty sure Zuko would've let you go."

"I know he would have." Hoshiko said, she sighed and slumped back in the carriage seat, "It's just… I don't want to see him just for a couple minutes and then _leave_. I want to see him for days. I want to be with him like we used to." Her hand went up to the betrothal necklace she wore. The two girls were quiet for a moment, both contemplating their significant others. As they were thinking, the carriage rolled to a stop, and they saw that they were right outside the palace. Hoshiko stepped out of the carriage, "Thanks for the ride, Mai. I appreciate it." Mai stepped out as well.

"No problem." She said with a shrug, she looked up at the palace, "Why don't you ask Zuko for some leave time?"

"What?" Hoshiko asked in surprise.

"You have to have earned some by now." Mai said, "Go and see him."

"But, it's my _duty_ to guard Zuko." Hoshiko said, "And you can't honestly expect me to just leave him with the other guards! No offense to them or anything, but they're a bunch of hopeless idiots without a leader."

"I thought you might say that." Mai said, "So I made sure _I_ planned ahead." Mai said, waving her arm to something that stood on just the other side of the palace entry gate. Hoshiko looked to see where she was pointing and grinned widely.

* * *

Zuko walked down the hallway of the throne room, looking up at the high ceilings. No matter how many times he came in here, no matter how many times he was seated on that throne, he never felt like it was a place he belonged. His uncle had said that would pass as he got used to being a ruler, but after an entire _year_, he was sure he'd never feel like he was supposed to be there.

"So the Fire Lord has returned." A voice said. Zuko turned and his eyes widened at the familiar face.

"Mai!" He exclaimed. He walked over to her, "The mob outside Yu Dao is gone. For now, at least, the Fire Nation citizens there are safe." The information he gave her didn't seem to be what she wanted.

"You left without saying anything to me!" She said, "I had to figure out where you were from official edicts your soldiers posted around the capital!"

Zuko lowered his head shamefully, not meeting her eyes. He meant to contact her while he was in Yu Dao, he really did, but with everything that had been going on… He didn't want her to worry, and he didn't think it was something she'd care to know about.

Mai sighed, "You're doing it again, Zuko. If you're having problems, you're supposed to talk to me. I'm your girlfriend."

"You're right. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Zuko promised. He still didn't meet her eyes. Mai raised her hand and put it gently to his cheek, turning him to face her.

"You've been having trouble sleeping." She said quietly, rubbing her thumb against his skin. Zuko's eyes widened.

"How—?"

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?" Mai asked, her fingers carefully ran across the dark circles that had been resting under Zuko's eyes for the past few weeks. Zuko's eyes looked away, and she stepped back, "Hoshiko said you've been waking up at all hours of the night, saying assassins are after you."

"They were just nightmares." Zuko lied. His last attempt at finding an assassin was a success.

"She's pretty exhausted, Zuko." Mai said, "She looks almost as bad as you do." Zuko looked up at her, and she grabbed his hand, "I told her to take a vacation, and go see her fiancé. She needed it."

Zuko's eyes widened, "Mai, she's my bodyguard!"

"I know." Mai replied, "She and I thought about getting some of the palace guards to take her place, but they're a bunch of incompetent idiots." She led him out of the throne room, "You're the Fire Lord now. You need real security." She brought him over to the curtained entrance and moved it aside, "So I asked some friends to come help."

Zuko's eyes widened as he recognized the group before him. "The Kyoshi Warriors." He said when he saw them.

"Hi Zuko!" Ty Lee greeted him cheerily.

"It's good to see you again." Suki said, giving the Fire Lord a respectful bow, as she should.

"Suki, you're a friend," Zuko said, "You don't have to bow."

"That may be, but you're the Fire Lord, too." She said. "We'll take good care of you until Hoshiko returns." Zuko nodded.

"Where is she, anyway?" He asked.

"Right here!" Hoshiko's voice hollered at them from down the hallway. On her shoulder rested a small bag, and she was dressed in her casual clothes once again, "I wanted to come and say goodbye before I left." Zuko nodded.

"Safe travels." He bid, "And tell Kotaro I said hello." She nodded with a smile.

"Have fun!" Ty Lee called, waving goodbye as Hoshiko headed out the entrance.

"I will, bye!" She called back, and went out the door, where a carriage waited to take her to the harbor.

* * *

That night, Zuko awoke in a cold sweat again, sitting up straight in his bed. He went to the door, where Suki and Ty Lee had been posted for his protection and in a panicky voice, asked, "Do you hear anything?"

"No, Zuko." Suki said, "It's been quiet all night."

"Honest to goodness!" Ty Lee swore, raising her hand up high, "There hasn't been a peep!"

Zuko sighed and stepped out of his room, turning to the two girls, bowing his head, "I'm sorry. It's not that I don't trust you." He said, "I know the Kyoshi Warriors are the best guardsmen in the world."

"Guards_women_, you mean!" Ty Lee corrected with a smile.

"Go back to sleep, you have to at least try." Suki said gently. Zuko shook his head and reached his hand up to his head, threading his fingers through his hair.

"No. I'm going to get a drink of water." He said.

"Do you need someone to escort you?" Suki asked. Again, Zuko shook his head.

"I'll be fine. The walk will do me some good." He said quickly, and walked away from the pair.

Instead of doing as he said he would, and getting a drink of water, Zuko put on a jacket and walked out of the palace, taking a lamp and a few supplies. He walked down a path that had become familiar to him in his time as a prince in the Fire Nation, and headed into the prisons. He stopped a moment in the kitchen, fixing up a tea pot, then putting it on a tray, along with two tea cups. He walked down the halls of the prison, the sound of his footsteps echoing along the walls, until he reached the cell that he had been looking for. He opened the door and stepped inside, seeing where the prisoner was sitting behind bars on the other side of the room. He knelt in front of him, pouring tea in both cups. The man took one, holding it up as Zuko stared at the ground, reluctantly trying to get out the words he needed to say.

"…I need your advice…_Father_." He said, trying to say the word with as less spite as possible. Ozai grinned from where he sat, holding up the tea as he looked down at his son.

* * *

**Yeah, it's not that long. I was trying to divide up the comic book in a sorta-half-way-thing, but it didn't work out that well. I hope you like it anyway!**


	46. Toph's Lily Livers-- I mean, Students

46

Kotaro sat on the side of the saddle as Aang began directing Appa towards the Earth Kingdom, specifically to Ba-Sing-Se to speak with King Kuei. Aang and Katara sat at the front of the saddle, just sitting together and enjoying each other's company, holding hands. Sokka grimaced at the sight of it, moaning out an "Ugh."

"What? Everybody does it!" Toph said as she dug her pinky into her nostril.

"I was talking about _them_, not y—" Sokka stopped when he saw what she was doing, "Oh. You too." Kotaro said nothing, completely used to Toph's habits by now. Kotaro looked out over the side of the saddle, seeing the Beifong Metal Bending Academy just below them.

"We're near the school, Toph." He told her. The two of them stood up.

"Well, it's been fun, guys, but we gotta get back to my school." Toph announced to everyone.

"Leaving already?" Katara asked.

"Yeah. Someone's got to keep the lily livers— I mean, _my students_, in line." Toph said.

"And _I've_ got to make sure those kids don't get so traumatized that they leave." Kotaro said. Toph jabbed him in the side with her elbow in response. "Ow!"

"Wait!" Sokka hissed, grabbing onto the back of Toph's clothes, "You can't leave me alone with them! The oogie-osity's only gonna get worse after you're gone! How am I supposed to keep my food down?!"

"Well, you could come with me." Toph suggested.

"No, no." Sokka waved it off, "Hey! How about I go with you?" Kotaro rolled his eyes with a small grin. Even after a year of hard work, Sokka was still Sokka.

"Great idea, Sokka. Wish I'd thought of it." Toph said sarcastically, crossing her arms.

"Katara? Aang? I'm going with Toph and Kotaro." Sokka said, "To check out her school, not because you two are giving me oogies or anything." Had Katara been listening, she would have made a comment about Sokka's immaturity around them, but she had only been half-listening, so she didn't hear that last part.

"Hm? Oh! That sounds good! We'll pick you up on the way back from Ba-Sing-Se." She promised. Aang jumped up and went over to where the reigns rested on Appa's head.

"Hang on, guys! Just give Appa a second to land!" He said.

"Don't bother, Twinkle Toes." Toph said, "We're close enough to the ground." She inhaled deeply through her nose, "I can smell the trees near my school." Kotaro had been able to smell the pine trees for the last few minutes. His sense of smell was naturally stronger than everyone else's, but since they already knew that, he decided not to comment on it. Sokka tried to smell the trees, but didn't really get anything. Toph grabbed onto Kotaro's wrist and she grabbed Sokka's wrist with her other hand. "Come on!"

"Hey, isn't that the hand you were just using to pick your—?" Sokka's question was cut short as Toph jumped out of the saddle with the two boys in tow. "AAAAAH!"

"Darn it, Toph!" Kotaro shouted as they fell. Toph released their wrists.

"I gotta let go of you, but don't worry!" She shouted at them.

"_I'm worried! I'm worried!_" Sokka shouted, flailing his arms in fear.

With a few quick motions, Toph created an earthy landing pad for the three of them. Before they had a chance to fall off of it, Toph used her earth bending to create a ramp that the three of them slid down on, Sokka and Kotaro on their backs and Toph on her feet. The slide went on for twenty more feet before Toph finally decided it was long enough and jumped off the end as Sokka and Kotaro fell off it, landing on their backs.

Kotaro groaned as he stood back up, "Again, I would _really_ appreciate some warning the next time you do something like that." He said to her.

"Geez, alright!" Toph said, "Is nagging all that you're going to do today?"

"Hush." Kotaro said, he looked over at where Sokka was pushing himself up on shaky legs. "You okay?"

"I-I think so." Sokka said, looking up at the slide Toph had created.

"I told you not to worry." Toph said.

"I tasted my own stomach half way down, but by the end— not a bad way to travel." Sokka said.

"The school's this way. Come on." Toph said, heading off to where the school rested. Kotaro knew the way pretty well, so he had already started walking.

"So how'd you come up with the idea of starting your own school?" Sokka asked.

"After training Aang, I realized how fulfilling teaching can be!" Toph said, "I mean, I helped him reach his potential as an earth bender, as the avatar, and as a human being! I felt like I really made a _difference_! So when I discovered metal bending, I knew in my heart that I had to share it with the world! It was almost like… a _calling_!"

"Oh, please." Kotaro said, "Who are you kidding? You just like bossing people around."

Toph grinned, "Yeah. And yelling. I _love_ yelling." They came up to the school's entrance, where they saw Toph's three students with packed bags walking away from the building. "_Just where do you lily livers think you're going?_!" The three of them stopped, whirling around to look at her, eyes wide, "Don't tell me you were trying to escape—I mean, _give up on your training!_ I'm gonna put you in so much hurt you won't remember what day of the week it is!"

"Sifu Toph!" Penga exclaimed, trying to hide behind Ho Tun.

"Oh, this is bad! We're so _doomed_!" Ho Tun cried, trying to hide behind Penga.

Penga paused when she saw Sokka looking at the three of them, "Sifu Toph, who's that?"

"Oh, yeah. Sokka these are my students," Toph began, "Ho Tun—"

"Please, sir! Save us from our doom!" Ho Tun begged him.

"—Penga—"

"Your biceps are enormous!" Penga squealed, pointing at Sokka.

"—And Moo—"

"_The Dark One_." He automatically corrected her. Toph sighed.

"The Dark One. Lily livers, this is my friend Sokka." Toph said.

"Oh, I don't know about _'enormous'_ biceps." Sokka said, flexing the muscles that Penga had been admiring, "_'Impressively large'_ maybe."

"You're my new boyfriend! Starting right now!" Penga said happily. Sokka chuckled, a little proud of himself for being such a ladies' man.

"Penga, how old are you?" He asked. She was so much smaller than him, he had to wonder if she was anywhere near his age.

"Almost sixteen." She replied.

"And by almost, you mean…?" Sokka asked.

"She's nine, Sokka." Kotaro said.

"I see." Sokka said, taking a step back from the girl.

"So, what were we talking about before all this nice-to-meet-you garbage?" Toph asked, cracking her knuckles, "That's right. We were talking about _hurt_."

"Please, Sifu Toph!" Ho Tun pleaded, "We weren't trying to _run away_! We were _kicked out_!"

"They wouldn't even let me pack all my shoes first!" Penga complained with a pout.

"I hate practicing forms, but getting kicked out is the worst." The Dark One said.

Toph paused, no longer in a mood for butt-kicking (at least, not the butts of her students). "Kicked out?" She echoed, "Kicked out by _who?_"

"We don't know." Penga said, "He just showed up with his students and told us to get out. That old jerk!"

Toph scowled and walked up to the school's entrance, pulling the doors open, glaring at the space in front of her, "_Get out!_" She shouted, catching their attention, "_Get out of my school now!_"

"Who dares disturb Master Kunyo's fire bending dojo?" The man, presumably Master Kunyo, asked, glaring at Toph.

"_'Fire bending dojo'?!_" Toph repeated angrily, "_This is the Beifong Metal Bending Academy!_" With a heavy stomp, she lifted up the earth beneath Kunyo and his students. Kunyo glared at her and got back on his feet.

"My students and I left this building in deference to the Harmony Restoration Movement!" Kunyo said, he turned around to where Toph had laid the crest of her family and shot a fire ball at it, burning it to dust, "But now that the Fire Lord has recovered his senses and withdrawn his support for the movement, we've come back to reclaim what is rightfully ours!" When the crest was gone, it showed the symbol of the Fire Nation. It was at this moment that Kotaro and the others came in. Kotaro glared at the sight of the Fire Nation symbol. While the war was over, the sight of it still made him angry.

Toph slammed her fist against the wall, and the symbol for the Earth Kingdom popped out where the Fire Nation symbol had been, "Fire Lord Zuko's off his gourd! You people don't belong here! This is the Earth Kingdom's first—And the world's—First school of _metal bending!_"

Kunyo turned to her with a smug grin on his face, "Psh. Shame on you for selling such a fantasy to these poor dupes, young lady! Everyone knows that 'metal bending' doesn't _exist_!" His students all chuckled behind him.

Toph frowned and used the 'fake' metal bending to take some of the weapons behind him and wrap them around his head. "_Gah!_"

"Master Kunyo!" One of the students exclaimed.

He glared at Toph, "Watch carefully, disciples! Your master is about to teach this _dirt girl_ a lesson!" He raised up his fist, flames pluming from his knuckles.

"_Bring it on!_" Toph shouted back, the floor cracking in preparation for her earth bending. Sokka and Kotaro glanced at each other, knowing that this was getting out of hand way too fast.

"Okay, everybody calm down!" Sokka said, coming between the two masters, Kotaro right behind him.

"If the two of you start fighting, there isn't going to be a building to fight over!" Kotaro said.

"Look, this place is meant to be a school, right?" Sokka asked, looking at the both of them as he spoke, "It seems to me that it ought to go to whichever school is the most effective."

"My boyfriend's so reasonable!" Penga squealed in delight.

Kotaro's ears perked at Sokka's suggestion, and while it sounded like a good idea, Sokka didn't know that none of Toph's students were capable of metal bending.

"Good point!" Kunyo said, he turned to his students with a proud gleam in his eye, "Rather than settle this with a match between the teachers, we'll settle it with a match between our students! _A match to the death!_"

"Yes!" Kunyo's students said in agreement.

"Uh, _no_!" Kotaro said quickly, "It's one thing for two masters to fight to the death, but we are _not_ killing kids!" Kunyo looked at him with disapproval.

"And what say does a _Shinjun_ have in this matter?" He asked him, his tone condescending. It made the hairs on Kotaro's tail bristle, "Are you teaching the students anything?"

"No, but I—"

"Are you a student, learning from this dirt girl?" Kunyo asked. Kotaro growled deep in his throat for a moment.

"No, but—"

"Then you have no say." Kunyo said. Kotaro's growls became a little louder, and Kunyo stepped back.

"Oh, doom upon doom!" Ho Tun lamented.

"Figures it'd end this way." The Dark One muttered.

"Does this mean I won't get all my shoes back?" Penga asked worriedly.

"Uh… well… how about a match the _sit_ instead?" Sokka asked.

"What?" Toph asked.

"You know, a match the sit!" Sokka said.

"No, I don't know because you just made that up!" Toph said.

"Whichever team can force a member of the other team to sit down first wins!" Sokka explained quickly.

Kunyo's students shared glances with each other.

"Well…" One murmured.

"…I guess…" The second said.

"…As long as we still get to beat people up…" The third one muttered.

Toph's students were much more enthusiastic about it.

"So we're only partially doomed?" Ho Tun asked happily.

"What great ideas my boyfriend has!" Penga squealed.

"Whatever. I still hate it." The Dark One muttered.

Kotaro pulled Sokka aside, "Uh, Sokka?" He whispered.

"Yeah?" Sokka whispered back.

"None of Toph's students can _actually_ metal bend." Kotaro said, "Toph's been trying for weeks, but there aren't any results." Sokka's eyes widened and he grimaced in dread. The expression disappeared as an idea came to mind and he went over to the door.

"Come back in three days, Master Kunyo." Sokka said, waving him to the door, "We'll have the match then."

"Three days?!" Kunyo shouted angrily, "Why should we wait—?!"

"Or we could settle it right now, Master Pointy-Head, just _you and me_." Toph said, using her metal bending to wrap the weapon around his head even more.

"Gah!" He gripped at the weapon and Toph stopped. He glared at her, "_Harrumph!_ Three days it is." He walked out the door and his three students followed him. Toph's students stayed inside while the others followed Kunyo and his students out the door.

"I don't know about this, Sokka." Toph whispered to him, "The lily livers can't even—"

"Come on, Toph! Those fire benders are a bunch of little kids!" Sokka whispered back. "With three days of intensive training, your guys will be able to take them!"

Kunyo turned towards them, "Before we leave, Disciples of Kunyo, let's give our opponents the_ Kunyo Salute_." The three students nodded and jumped into action, one landing atop another's shoulders until they formed a tower of three students, fire blowing from their fists.

"Beware, enemies of Kunyo!" The one at the top shouted.

"For we shall roast you!" The middle one said.

"In the flames of your own defeat!" The one at the bottom said.

Sokka's jaw dropped in shock. Ho Tun looked positively petrified. Penga hid behind Sokka. Kotaro's ears fell back and his eyes were wide, his mouth slack. The Dark One and Toph were the only ones with indifferent looks on their faces. Kunyo and his disciples walked away from the school, heading off somewhere else to train.

"What's that you're always saying, Ho Tun?" Sokka asked.

"We're doomed." Ho Tun said lamentingly, putting his face in his hands.

"Pretty much." Toph said in agreement.

* * *

Hoshiko looked up at the sky as the sun began to sink behind the horizon. She would reach the Earth Kingdom late that night, and she should probably be sleeping so she wouldn't be exhausted when she arrived, but she was far too excited. She looked up when she heard footsteps and saw the captain approaching her.

"I'm surprised Fire Lord Zuko would let you return to Yu Dao so easily." He commented, coming by her side.

"It's not Yu Dao that I'm trying to visit." Hoshiko said, "I'm visiting a school on the mountain near the city. I'm not breaking his 'Do not enter' rule." She glanced at the captain. During her time in the Fire Nation, when she would particularly miss Kotaro, she would go to the docks, saying to herself that she could leave whenever she wanted to see him. Zuko would have understood and let her go without a word, at least, he would have in the beginning, but she knew he would protest it right away if she left without warning. When she visited the docks, she would occasionally make conversation with those who were coming in. She mostly chatted with the Earth Kingdom traders who were coming to the Fire Nation to set up shop in the new land. The captain that stood beside her now was Captain Kuroza, a member of the royal Fire Navy fleet. His ship claimed to be the fastest in the entire navy, and she had no reason to doubt him. They were reaching the Earth Kingdom in record time anyhow. She had made light conversation with him sometimes when there was no one else to talk to. Neither of them knew very much about the other. Kuroza knew that Hoshiko was engaged because of the betrothal necklace she wore, but other than that, he knew next to nothing about her personal life. He was rather shocked when he learned she was a personal friend of the Fire Lord, and was more than willing to give her a ride to the Earth Kingdom when she asked him.

"If it's not too personal," He began, "May I ask who it is you're going to see in the school?"

Hoshiko's hand went up to her betrothal necklace, "I think that should be pretty obvious." Kuroza nodded, "But also to see some old friends. I was thinking about maybe stealing him away and heading to Ba-Sing-Se for a little while, just to relax."

"I understand that Ba-Sing-Se is very peaceful during all this." Kuroza commented. "That sounds nice." Hoshiko nodded.

"I want to thank you for going out of your way to get me there." Hoshiko said, "I know you didn't have to do it."

Kuroza shook his head, "No need to thank me. Truth be told, I'm doing this to get on Fire Lord Zuko's good side." Hoshiko snorted in laughter, "Well, you are a friend of his, aren't you? You'll put in a good word for me?"

"Yes, sure." Hoshiko promised, "But you're in his navy, why would you need to get on his good side?"

"I was rather loyal to the previous Fire Lord during his reign." Kuroza admitted, "I want Fire Lord Zuko to know that my loyalty to him is just as strong."

"And your loyalty to Fire Lord Ozai?" Hoshiko asked carefully.

"I have no loyalty towards prisoners." Kuroza said.

"Your loyalty seems to sway with the changing politics." Hoshiko commented dryly. Kuroza cracked a smile.

"In order to function in the Fire Nation, one must _always_ change their politics." He said. Hoshiko shrugged nonchalantly. "I have some good news by the way. We're making good time, so we should arrive an hour earlier than expected." Hoshiko smiled at the news.

"That's wonderful." Hoshiko said, "Thank you for informing me, Captain."

"You're welcome." Kuroza said shortly, and with that, he went back to work looking after his ship. Hoshiko turned her head at the sound of the metal door shutting, but soon went back to looking out at the sunset. While Kuroza was polite around her, she couldn't help but wonder why he seemed to stiff towards her, in comparison to how he acted with his crew. Then again, the bonds a man forms with his crew at sea are probably much different than the bonds he forms with a random Shinjun girl who visits the docks every now and then who just happens to be personal friends with the ruler of the nation they all were born and bred in.

She couldn't help but wonder how Kotaro would react to seeing her again. It had been an entire year. She imagined he would be happy to see her, but also angry that he hadn't seen her in so long. She sighed to herself, she would just have to cross that bridge when she came to it. There wasn't much she could do right at that moment.

* * *

Zuko sat in front of his father, sipping at the tea he had prepared. His father hadn't said anything since he had come in, and he suspected it was because he was trying to figure out exactly what words to insult him with, but he couldn't be sure.

"Do you remember those family vacations we used to take to Ember Island?" Ozai began after another moment of silence. Zuko looked up at him, but Ozai's gaze was on his tea, "Once, at the beach—you couldn't have been older than three at the time—We saw a hawk attacking a turtle-crab by the water." He paused to take a sip of his tea, "You ran as fast as your little legs would carry you to rescue that turtle-crab. Even then, you possessed an odd affinity for the weak. But then, when you had the turtle-crab safely in your arms, you hesitated. The hawk looked at you with hungry eyes and you realized you were condemning it to starve. You didn't know whether to side with the hawk or the turtle-crab. Before you could reach a decision, a giant wave washed over you and carried you out into the ocean. I dove in myself to save you. You spent the rest of the day in your mother's arms, vomiting sea water." He took another sip, taking in the last of his tea.

"I came here looking for advice." Zuko said with a frown, "I want to know how you were able to sleep peacefully in spite the pressures of the throne."

"And I told you." Ozai replied.

"I don't see how an old family memory—" Zuko was cut off.

"I'm tired, Zuko. We're done talking for now." Ozai said, putting down his cup and turning away from his son, facing the back wall of his cell, "Perhaps we will continue tomorrow." Zuko scowled, but since he knew he wasn't going to get any more out of him, he picked up the tray that carried the pot and cups and headed for the door, just as he was heading out, he heard Ozai said, "Bring more tea." Zuko said nothing and shut the door with a resolute _clang!_

* * *

Kotaro looked down at the exhausted students. All three of them lay on the floor, completely spent after the first day of Toph's intensive training. They had gone well into the night, and the moon had risen high into the sky.

"I'm so tired!" Penga whined, "I wanna go to bed!"

Kotaro looked over at where Toph was standing and she frowned. "Toph, the kids are exhausted. Let them sleep so they can train for tomorrow." Kotaro said. Toph sighed, relenting.

"Fine, that's all for today." She said, "Get back to your rooms, lights out in a half hour." The three of them all got up, groaning as they worked their sore limbs.

"I feel like I'm walking through a land of doom." Ho Tun lamented.

"I wanna just collapse on the bed!" Penga whined.

"I hate intensive training." The Dark One muttered as they left.

Toph sat down on a cushion, crossing her arms, "Well, _that_ was a waste of time. We spent the entire day doing forms and basic movements, and came up with nothing."

"They must have gotten something." Sokka said, "I'm sure they'll get it by tomorrow."

"We can only hope." Kotaro said, picking up some of the equipment they had used. "These are the most qualified students Toph could find, and I'm amazed they're determined enough to stick around… Or they're too scared of Toph to leave."

"That second one makes more sense." Sokka said. Kotaro nodded in agreement. Toph suddenly went stiff on her cushion, and the strange movement caught Sokka's attention. He watched as Toph knelt to the ground, putting her fingers on the floor. "What is it? Do you feel something?" Kotaro turned around, wondering what it was.

"There's someone coming to the school." She said.

"Is it Kunyo?" Sokka asked, "I bet he's going to try and sabotage the equipment! That cheater!"

Toph shook her head, "No, the footsteps are too light to be his, and too heavy to be one of his students…" Her eyes widened and she smiled widely, "I know who it is!" Just as she said it, there was a knock on the entrance door. Toph ran over to it, threw the doors open, and happily embraced the person on the other side. Sokka and Kotaro gaped when they saw it happening, and their jaws fell even further when they realized who it was.

Hoshiko laughed, hugging the young earth bender back, "It's good to see you, too, Toph." She said.

"Hoshiko!" Sokka cried happily, going over and joining the hug, "I missed you! It's been way too long!"

She laughed again, doing her best to hug Sokka back, but it was a little awkward for her, "I know. I'm sorry I didn't come see you guys earlier, but you'd be amazed at how busy I was working for Zuko."

"I can't believe you're here!" Toph said, pulling back, "Sokka said you went back to the Fire Nation!"

"I managed to get a break." Hoshiko said as Sokka pulled away. She looked up at Kotaro, "Zuko's letting me off for a little while, so I thought I'd pay you a visit."

"Yeah…" Kotaro was stunned, not moving from his spot. Hoshiko grinned as she put down the bag she had been shouldering and walked over to him, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. That seemed to get him moving again, and he dropped all the equipment he was holding and kissed her passionately on the lips. Hoshiko was more than happy to return it. Sokka made a face as he watched it.

"_Ugh_! No more oogies! I got enough of that with Aang and Katara!" He begged. Hoshiko pulled away from Kotaro, a little breathless from the kiss.

"I missed you." He said quietly.

"I missed you, too." Hoshiko said. He held her close to him and they stayed that way for a moment. Kotaro looked at where Hoshiko's hair was pulled back and fingered the little clip.

"Your hair's grown longer." He commented.

"Yeah, it tends to do that." Hoshiko replied. Kotaro pulled back from her.

"Why didn't you come see me when you were in Yu Dao?" He asked. Hoshiko's smile fell from her face and she looked away ashamedly.

"I'm sorry, Kota. I didn't want any of the soldiers to think I was getting special treatment because I was Zuko's friend." She said, "It's difficult for them to respect me because of that, even more so because of my heritage." She pointed to the ears on her head. "I want them to know just how powerful a bender I am, and that I deserve what I have." Kotaro was quiet, but nodded. She smiled at him, "I really wanted to see you. I'm sorry that I didn't. Can you forgive me?"

"If only because I'm so happy to see you for the first time in a year." Kotaro said, he put his arm around her shoulders, "Come on, let's get you settled in as long as you're here." He went over to her bag, putting it on his shoulder before walking away with her to his room. Leaving Toph and Sokka to put away the equipment and get ready for tomorrow.

* * *

After Hoshiko had been introduced to all of Toph's students the next morning, they went right to work, doing as Toph had instructed them to do, and worked on their forms. The previous day, they had tried to move some sheets of steel that Kotaro had come across in the basement. Today, they were attempting to move some metal coins from their places on top of bamboo rods.

"_Yaaah!_" They all shouted as they tried to get the coins to move, but they stayed stationary on top of the poles.

"Nothing. No movement at all." Ho Tun said disappointedly.

"How am I supposed to impress my boyfriend?!" Penga distressed.

"I hate failure." The Dark One muttered.

"This is bad!" Ho Tun cried, "I can't concentrate on forms with doom coming in two days!"

"I'm sick of hearing about doom!" Penga snapped, "I'm not practicing with you anymore!"

"I hate… I hate…all of this!" The Dark One said, having apparently run out of things to say that he hates during their training.

Sokka, Kotaro, and Hoshiko watched the students with curious looks. Toph just looked at them with indifference.

"So these were the most qualified students you could find, huh?" Sokka asked, pointing at them as they argued amongst themselves.

"It wasn't me! It was _this_!" Toph said, pulling up her sleeve to show him the bracelet that was made out of the material that Sokka had given her. He recognized it immediately.

"Oooh! Space bracelet!" He said happily, then he looked up sadly at the ceiling, "Oh, how I miss you space sword!"

"Space what now?" Hoshiko asked confusedly.

Kotaro looked at her in surprise, "Did you not hear about the whole meteor-crashing incident that led to Sokka learning from a sword master?" He asked. Hoshiko shook her head. "Long story short, a meteor crashed somewhere in the Fire Nation, Sokka used the material it was made from to make a black sword, and gave some left over material to Toph so she could use it however she wanted." Hoshiko nodded when she understood.

Toph took off her bracelet, twirling it around her finger, "About a year ago, I noticed that every now and then, when I was in public, my bracelet would shiver the tiniest bit." She said, "I could only feel it when I was really paying attention. Eventually, I figured out that this would happen when someone around me got _super emotional_. So I had an idea. Maybe these people who could move my bracelet could also become _metal benders_. I started recruiting them to my school. I met Ho Tun in a ramen house. He'd just found a spider-wasp in his soup." She paused, "Actually, it was more like half a spider-wasp. Penga was in the marketplace arguing over shoes with one of her family's servants. And The Dark One was people watching at a street corner."

"That sounds about right." Sokka said, "Katara found out she was a water bender because the ice would crack whenever I made her mad—er, whenever she got _super emotional_."

"The same for me." Hoshiko said, "I found out I was a shadow bender when I threw my first tantrum as a child."

"And for me, it was when my brother pranked me into going down a big icy hill and landing in a very cold lake." Kotaro said.

"Yeah, but there's a problem with finding students that way." Toph said, "Think about it. What kind of people get super emotional in public?!"

"Uh… crazy people?" Hoshiko suggested.

"_Crazy people!_" Toph said in agreement, "And even worse, the whole thing is just a theory! Nobody in that sorry group of lily livers has moved even the smallest piece of metal since they've been here! Not even a coin!"

Sokka let out a small, smug chuckle and came over to Toph, "Listen. I don't like to brag, but—"

"You love to brag." Toph said.

"Okay, I love to brag," He admitted, "But Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe is just what this school needs!"

"What are you talking about?" Toph asked, "You're not a bender of _anything_, let alone metal!"

"Oh, but I _am_ a bender!" Sokka said, "I may not be able to bend any of the elements, but I can 'bend' people's motivation! I'm a _motivational bender!_"

"Oh, dear gods…" Hoshiko muttered, putting a hand to her forehead.

"That's a stretch." Toph said, crossing her arms doubtfully.

"Hey, who led the invasion on the Day of Black Sun?" Sokka asked, "Who started training warriors in his own tribe when he was just a kid? _Sokka the motivational bender_, that's who! Just explain to me metal bending basics. Then leave the lily livers—I mean, _your students_—to me!"

"This won't end well, will it?" Kotaro asked.

"Nope." Hoshiko replied, popping the 'p'.

* * *

After a brief explanation from Toph about metal bending, Sokka got the three students in front of him. To help 'motivate' them, Sokka had put on a head band. He smiled at them as he held up a metal coin. Hoshiko sat by Kotaro, not wanting to miss a second of this.

"To become a true metal bender," He began, "You have to not only _see_ the metal, but _hear_ the metal," He put the coin up to his ear, "_Taste_ the metal," He licked the coin, "And _be_ the metal!" He held the coin out to the students, who all cringed a little when some of Sokka's saliva dripped off of it.

"That doesn't even make sense." Ho Tun said, looking at Sokka confusedly.

"Why should we listen to you? You're not a bender!" The Dark One said.

"Don't talk to my boyfriend that way!" Penga snapped at him.

"I've already explained this to you guys!" Sokka said, "I _am_ a bender, a bender of _motivation_!"

"Hey, Sokka, am I doing this right?" Toph asked as she pointed to her eyes, which were looking up at the ceiling, "I'm trying to roll my eyes at you."

Hoshiko and Kotaro laughed at the gesture, "Oh man, Sokka, if you got a blind girl to roll her eyes at you, then you know this is a stupid idea!" Hoshiko said. Sokka frowned at her.

"Look, people, can we just give this a shot?" Sokka asked them, "Now, let's start with the defending-palm technique!" Toph's students glanced at each other. They decided they had nothing to lose by trying it. When Sokka saw they were willing to comply he smiled, "First, take a steady and strong stance, just like Sifu Toph taught you." The students did so, "Next, gather up your chi deep in your gut. Feel your gut heat up like a furnace!" They all complied, focusing on their stomachs, "Now, let your gut furnace refine your senses! Close your eyes and feel the earth around you." They all closed their eyes, focusing on the feel of the earthen floor. "Then feel the metal within that earth!" Sokka pulled out three metal coins from his pocket, "Now, feel the metal coins coming at you and _stop them in midair!_ _Come on, Team Beifong! Let's metal bend!_" With that, he threw the three coins at them, each one hitting each of the students squarely in their foreheads. The hit was enough to get them all off balance and fall on their butts.

Ho Tun put his hands to his forehead, holding the spot where the coins had hit it, "I'm bleeding, right?! Oooh! My forehead's gonna get infected, and then—"

"You better buy me some shoes to make up for this!" Penga shouted at Sokka angrily.

"Do I even need to say it?" The Dark One asked as he walked away from the group, scowling as he held the spot on his head where the coin had hit.

"I know, The Dark One. You hate me." Sokka said, slumping in disappointment as he realized his idea didn't work.

"Nice going, O Great Bender of People's Motivation!" Toph said in sarcastic happiness as she punched Sokka's shoulder harshly, "Amazing what a difference a fancy headband makes!"

"You're not very helpful right now." Sokka said, rubbing the spot she had hit.

"Neither are you, Sokka." Kotaro said, "No offense, I know you had the best intentions, but I don't think 'motivation bending' is going to help these kids."

"Alright!" Toph shouted out at her students, "Everyone get back to your stances! You're not done training yet!" The three of them groaned and went back to doing what they had been doing before, focusing on their stances.

Kotaro turned to Toph, "And no offense to you either, Toph, but your militaristic training isn't really helping them either."

"Hey!" Toph snapped.

"I said no offense!" Kotaro said quickly, "These kids are just that—kids! I know you're not too far from being a kid yourself, Toph, but you're an earth bending prodigy. These kids aren't as talented as you. You need to cut them a little slack." Toph frowned, crossing her arms. "Don't give me that look. You know I'm right. Not all kids respond well to that kind of response from their teachers."

"So you want me to give them positive reinforcement?" Toph asked, scrunching up her nose, "I already did that with Twinkle Toes, I don't want to have to do it again!"

Kotaro sighed, "Never mind. I'm going to go prepare lunch." He walked off to the kitchen, and Hoshiko went with him. As he grabbed one of the pots, he felt Hoshiko press a kiss to his cheek. He looked over at her, "What was that for?"

She shrugged, "I think it's sweet you tried to help those kids." She said. Kotaro smiled.

"At this point, I think I'm the only thing that keeps them from leaving." He said wryly, "You wanna help me cook this?"

"Sure. What do you need?"

* * *

Zuko returned to the prison cell where his father was, presenting him with more tea. Ozai took a sip from the cup nearest him, and Zuko didn't wait for him to say the first word as he did last time.

"I stayed up all night thinking about what you said." He told him, "At the beach, I was overwhelmed by my circumstances because I couldn't decide whose side to take. I should have sided with the hawk. It was strong and noble, much like the Fire Nation. It had earned its meal. But I've already done that, Father! I'm no longer neglecting the needs of my own people, as I did when I first took the throne! And I still can't sleep!"

"You're only partially correct in your assessment." Ozai said, "Your sleeplessness does stem from your inability to choose sides, to distinguish what is right. But you're wrong about the hawk."

Zuko thought for a moment, "So you're saying… I _should_ have defended the turtle-crab? I _should_ have sided with the weaker of the two?"

"What I'm saying is this—_There is no right or wrong apart from what you decide_." Ozai said. "Who you choose to defend deserves to be defended simply because _you_ chose them. You are _Fire Lord_. What you choose, by definition, is _right_."

Zuko frowned, "No! Right and wrong are bigger than _me_, or _you_, or even _the avatar_! And I believe that the avatar, the Earth King, and I can come closest to what's right by working _together!_" He said.

Ozai smirked, "I've heard rumors about this little meeting of yours. Do you think the Earth King, after being humiliated time and time again by our mighty nation, and his own incompetence, will be _reasonable_? Do you think he'll treat the remaining Fire Nation colonials _fairly_? In an attempt to restore his own dignity, he'll send out his army to crush them! If you are truly the Fire Lord, you will defend the Fire Nation citizens of Yu Dao ferociously! Not simply because they are your people, but because they are an expression of your _will!_"

"I'm going to wait, and my patience will be rewarded with a peaceful resolution for everyone!" Zuko said, "Even as we speak, the avatar is—"

"The avatar is an irrelevant relic of a bygone age!" Ozai snapped, "He wants to keep the world frozen in time by denying the inevitable victory of the strong over the weak!"

"Avatar Aang is my friend!" Zuko snapped back, "More often than not, he's been on the side that's right! I trust him."

"More than you trust yourself?" Ozai asked. Zuko didn't reply, he looked away from his father. Ozai scowled, standing up, "You sicken me, Zuko. Leave my presence."

Zuko looked up at him in surprise, amazed he was still trying to command him from a jail cell, "Who are you to talk to me this way?! Have you forgotten your current place in—"

"_Leave. My. Presence!_" Ozai shouted. Zuko scowled and did as his father asked, taking up the tea and leaving, more than happy to do so. He was starting to remember why it was such a bad idea to come to his father for advice in the first place. As he left the prison, he didn't notice the green-clad warrior watching him leave from the top of the building.

* * *

**Meh, it's not much, but it's an update.**


	47. A Match to the Sit

47

"_Look alive, lily livers!_" Toph shouted at her students. "Take your horse stance, steady and strong!" They did as she ordered, closing their eyes to focus on their training, "Make your gut a furnace and use it to feel the metal in front of you!" They all took in deep breaths, focusing on their bellies, "Now _kick! Kick like your life depends on it!_" They all shot their legs up, kicking the air, trying to get the metal coins that stood on the pedestals before them to move. There was no reaction. Toph went up to the pedestals and sighed as she put her hand on it, "Not even a shiver."

The students were all surprised, expecting her to be angry with them and shout at them until they did it again, but she was quiet. "Aren't you gonna yell at us?" Ho Tun asked.

"No." Toph replied dejectedly.

"Hey, Toph?" She turned her head to the direction of Sokka's voice, showing he had her full attention. "Sorry to bug you during training, but something important just happened."

Toph walked with him outside, turning back to her students to say, "Take a break, guys."

"We've already had three breaks this morning!" The Dark One said, "The match is tomorrow!"

"I said _take a break!_" Toph snapped back, and he was silent, the three students remaining in the room while Toph went outside with Sokka, where Kotaro and Hoshiko were waiting.

"I just had the best idea ever!" Sokka said to her excitedly.

"You said something important just happened!" Toph snapped, not really interested in hearing another one of Sokka's ideas.

"It did!" Sokka said, "In my _brain._" Toph sighed, crossing her arms in annoyance, but she let him speak, "Listen! You said your students were able to move your space bracelet when they were super emotional. Well, to make them metal benders, we just have to get them _super-mega-uber emotional!_"

"And how do you plan to do that?" Toph asked, "Let me guess, you're gonna wear _two_ fancy headbands!" She grinned at her own joke while Sokka frowned.

"Very funny." He said dryly.

"It's actually a pretty decent idea, Toph." Kotaro said, "This time, it might just work if we get them hyped up enough over whatever their emotions run highest." Toph was quiet for a moment, then shrugged, making a gesture for Sokka to continue.

"I've been thinking. For Ho Tun, it's easy—" Sokka began.

"Doom." Toph answered.

"Yes! And Penga—"

"Shoes." Toph answered again.

"Of course! The Dark One's the only one I can't figure out." Sokka said, "What gets to him more than anything in the world?"

"His real name." Toph answered easily, "But I promised I wouldn't ever tell anybody."

Sokka was quick to put on his puppy-dog face (Even though faces don't work on Toph) and began to beg "Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease—"

"Okay, okay! Quit your blubbering!" Toph snapped. She made a gesture for him and the others to come closer and they leaned in as Toph whispered The Dark One's real name. They all pulled away with grimaces.

"No. Way." Sokka said, "What were his parents thinking?"

"I know, right?" Toph said, "No wonder that guy hates everything."

"There was a 'third' in his name." Hoshiko said, "Does that mean his dad was 'the second'?"

Kotaro shuddered, "Hey, if I had a name like that, I'd want my kid to suffer through it, too."

"Now, you remember what you did during our final battle with Ozai?" Sokka asked Toph, going off the subject of The Dark One's name. "In the cabin of the Fire Nation airship? I need you to do something like that! If only we had a whole bunch of metal to work with…"

"Why didn't you say so?" Toph asked, "There's a whole bunker full of metal under the school building!"

"Perfect!" Sokka said happily, "You and I just need to go down there and get to work, then." He pulled a scroll out from his pocket and the four of them walked back inside, Toph and Sokka heading to where the bunker was.

"Hey! Sifu Toph!" The Dark One snapped at her as she went by, "What about our training?"

"We're done for now. Class dismissed!" Toph said over her shoulder, leading Sokka somewhere else. The Dark One scowled and looked back at the other students. Kotaro walked in, starting to clean up the equipment that was used.

"How are we going to win if she doesn't train us?" The Dark One muttered, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, glaring at the floor.

"Does this mean we're not gonna be metal benders?" Penga asked with a pout. Kotaro went over to her, patting her head with the hand that was free from carrying equipment.

"There's no guarantee about that." He said to her, "Toph says there's something special about you guys, and I believe that."

"_Believing_ isn't going to help us win." The Dark One growled.

"We're so doomed, aren't we?" Ho Tun whined.

"Since when do you care about winning?" Kotaro asked The Dark One, "I though you hated metal bending practice."

"I do." He said, "I just hate losing even more."

"Wow. Imagine that." Hoshiko said, "And here I thought you hated everything the same." The Dark One glared at her and she shrugged it off, going to help Kotaro with the equipment.

* * *

"Whoa! Look at all this Fire Nation armor!" Sokka shouted as he and Toph entered the bunker that was filled with armor of all kinds, as well as various weapons. He smiled and went over to where a pile of helmets lay, picking them up and frowning when he noticed something odd about them. "These are all kid sized! Who would make armor for little kids?"

"A weirdo like Kunyo, that's who." Toph said. Sokka nodded slowly and put the helmet down, pulling out the scroll and opening it up.

"So here's what I need you to make with your metal bending powers!" He said, holding it out to her.

"Hello?!" Toph snapped, waving her hand in front of her face, "How many times do I have to remind you?!"

"Right. Sorry." Sokka said quickly, "How about I just describe it to you?" Sokka carefully went over every detail of the thing he planned to create out of metal, Toph nodding every now and then as he spoke. Not long after, they started working, Toph slamming together different armor pieces to help make Sokka's plan a reality. After a few hours of hard labor, it was finished and Sokka's creation stood before them, proud and tall. Sokka gazed at it in awe, "That's incredible! Toph Beifong, you've really outdone yourself!"

"Just call me _the greatest earth bender of all time_!" Toph said, wiping the dust off of her palms by rubbing them together. She looked up when Sokka laughed a little, "No, seriously. I want you to call me that." Sokka rolled his eyes and went over to Toph, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Toph, you're the greatest earth bender of all time." He said.

She smiled widely, "Gee, thanks, Sokka! That's so sweet of you!"

"Okay," Sokka turned back to his creation, "Now, we gotta get this bad boy outside. I'll get your students to come out and meet me for a bonfire, and that's when we'll start okay? And make sure to grab a bunch of Penga's shoes before we leave." Toph nodded.

"You got it." She said, "I really hope this works, Sokka."

"It _has_ to!" Sokka said brightly.

* * *

"Kota!"

"Gyah!" Kotaro jumped at Sokka's sudden entrance into the kitchen. He turned around and glared at him from where he stood at the pot of stew he was making, "What?"

"What are you making?" Sokka asked.

"Dinner." Kotaro said, "What else would I be doing?"

"Where's Hoshiko?" Sokka asked.

"Right here." She said as she walked into the room, carrying a few pots and pans, "I just finished cleaning these." She put them down on the counter beside the one where Kotaro was working.

"Thank you, Hoshi." Kotaro said, planting a quick kiss on her lips. She smiled back at him and went to put the pots and pans away.

"Okay, well, we're gonna need that dinner to-go." Sokka said, "So… can you maybe make some sandwiches or something?"

"What? Your plan can't work here or something?" Kotaro asked.

"It would be better if it was outside," Sokka said, "Around a campfire in the middle of the forest." Kotaro sighed.

"Fine." He moved the stew from where it was cooking on the stove and blew out the flame that had been cooking it, "I'll cook up something. How soon do you need it?"

"Just have it ready after the sun goes down!" Sokka said, heading back out quickly. The couple quirked their eyebrows curiously at his exit, but assumed it was just part of his Sokka-ness. Kotaro moved the food elsewhere, instead taking out some raw fish meat, something that could be roasted and cooked over a fire, as well as a few spices. Hoshiko watched him tuck all the food into his arm with a small smile.

"You've become quite the caretaker since we parted." She commented. Kotaro looked up at her and shrugged.

"I guess." He said, standing up, letting her take some of the spices from his arms. "Is that important?"

Hoshiko shrugged, still smiling, "It just makes me happy to know that when we have kids, we'll be sharing the workload." She said.

Kotaro paused at the thought of children, and then grinned widely. He could picture them already, a little group of white and black haired kids running around them in a house on a hill somewhere. He grinned as he and Hoshiko set the food down into a nearby basket, planning on using that to carry their food, "Speaking of kids…" He began, putting his hands around her waist, pulling her body to his with a growl, "When are we gonna start making them?"

Hoshiko blushed at his words and bumped her hip into his, "Someday. Not today, though." She said, "You have work here, and I still work for Zuko."

"But I want to make babies with you." Kotaro whined, pouting. Hoshiko snorted in laughter at his childish tone.

"Later." She said, stepping out of his grasp and picking up the basket, "When all this craziness is over and we can settle down somewhere. You know, we eventually have to start looking for a house." She walked out of the kitchen and Kotaro followed, taking the basket from her hands.

"Okay. Where do you want to live?" Kotaro asked.

Hoshiko looked at him in surprise, "You want to decide that _now?_"

Kotaro shrugged, "Why not? Might as well do it now so we can be prepared for it."

"Well… I want to live somewhere in the Earth Kingdom." Hoshiko said.

"That's a start." Kotaro chuckled, "But where? The Earth Kingdom is gigantic."

Hoshiko shrugged, "I don't know… Someplace I feel at home." They walked out into the woods behind Toph's school, Kotaro leading her to where he knew a small clearing was.

"Like our home? The Siela tribe?" He asked. Hoshiko shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe. I haven't decided yet. I haven't thought that far ahead."

"Well, you better, if you want us to start having babies."

"I believe _you_ were the one that said you wanted to have babies."

"And you don't?"

"Of course I do. Just not right now. We have to get married first. I'd like a decent ceremony at least."

"Oh, we'll definitely have that." Kotaro said, moving his arm around her waist as they walked, moving to where they heard the shouts from Toph's students up in the mountains. They could hear Toph giving out orders, telling them to concentrate, saying that being outside on the actual earth should improve their performance, but it's not. "I want to see you in a beautiful kimono waiting for me at the end of the aisle."

"You'll have to dress up, too, you know." She replied with a smile.

"I know, but when you dress up nice, you look ten times better." Hoshiko smiled and turned to him, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

"Oh, hey!" The couple jumped apart when Sokka's voice came from behind them, "You guys already got the food?"

"It wasn't hard to grab." Kotaro said, "Where's the campfire?"

"Over here." Sokka pointed in a certain direction and Kotaro followed him. Hoshiko looked over at Toph's students, seeing them collapse on the ground after Toph had just called for a break. Toph walked over and plopped down by her side with a sigh.

"So how's training going?" Hoshiko asked.

"If Sokka's plan doesn't work, I don't think anything will." Toph said bleakly.

"Don't be so hopeless." Hoshiko said, "Sokka's not the brightest of candles, I'll admit, but he's very creative and comes up with a lot of good ideas. If it wasn't for him, I don't think you guys would have gotten as far as you did in the invasion, and if you hadn't… Well, there's a very good chance I wouldn't be here right now."

Toph turned her head towards her friend, her unseeing eyes focusing on her almost. Then she smiled, "Yeah… I guess it's a little out of character for me to give up so quickly."

Hoshiko grinned, "That's right. If anyone should be confident in your students, it's their teacher." She looked over at them, seeing Penga whining about how she wanted to lie on her bed, Ho Tun lamenting about tomorrow's upcoming 'doom', and The Dark One proclaiming that he hated them, "And although they are a little… odd-"

"_That's_ the understatement of the century." Toph put in.

"-I think you were right to assume they would be great earth benders." Hoshiko replied, "And with you as their teacher, I think they're going to be even greater." Toph smiled, then reached up and punched Hoshiko's shoulder.

"Thanks. I needed that." She said, "And, since you were so nice to help me out, I've got a little job for you."

"Oh?" Hoshiko asked, rubbing at her arm, "What kind of job?"

* * *

"Why do we have to eat outside?" Ho Tun asked as he sat down on a log that had been placed near the fire that Sokka had made. Kotaro was off to the side, passing out the fish that had just finished cooking. The sun had already begun its trip to dip down under the horizon, giving the area they were in a bit of a spooky ambience. "It's so… so…"

"Dark? Cold? Dirty?" The Dark One supplied, standing up away from the fire, not really interested in being surrounded by people he hated.

"Doom-y." Ho Tun groaned.

"Ho Tun, that's not even a word!" Sokka said assuredly as he stoked the fire, "And besides, a campfire's the perfect setting for a little Team Beifong bonding."

"I think it's romantic!" Penga sighed, snuggling up to Sokka's side, wrapping her arms around Sokka's with a love-struck smile on her face.

"Uh… No, it's _not_." Sokka said, pulling his arm away from the girl.

"Penga, trust me when I tell you that you would be better off dating a platypus bear than him." Kotaro said.

"Hey!" Sokka snapped, glaring at him.

"Where's Sifu Toph?" The Dark One asked, "How come she gets to miss out on all the 'bonding'?"

"She'll be here soon! She just had to, uh… take care of some, you know… Sifu-ish type stuff first." Sokka said. Knowing that the students were starting to get a little suspicious, he decided to move forward with his plan, "Hey, do you guys remember that flying-boar banner that used to be in the training room? The one Kunyo burned down? Anyone know why that was there?"

"Oh, my boyfriend's so silly sometimes!" Penga giggled. "Everyone in the Earth Kingdom knows that the white flying boar is the Beifong family symbol!"

"No! I mean, yes it is, but that's not why that banner was there!" Sokka said, "Sifu Toph hung that banner to placate _the Winged Boar Spirit_ that haunts this mountain."

"W-W-Winged Boar Spirit?" Ho Tun echoed nervously.

"What are you talking about?!" Penga asked.

"Since when did you know the word 'placate'?" Kotaro muttered under his breath, watching Sokka spin his own little story for the kids.

"_Yes_!_ The Winged Boar Spirit_!_ The ancient harbinger of doom and eater of fine footwear_!" Sokka said excitedly, the shadows from the campfire giving his face a shadowed appearance, making him look a little frightening.

"Doom?!" Ho Tun echoed fearfully.

"Footwear?!" Penga whined, just as fearful.

Kotaro rolled his eyes. If there was any doubt that this was part of Sokka's plan to help the kids learn metal bending, it was gone now, although he wondered if they somehow got Hoshiko involved in it, because he hadn't seen her for a while, and was starting to get a little concerned.

Sokka ignored him, "And now that Kunyo's burned down the banner, we can probably expect to-" He was cut off when they all heard a loud roar echoing through the valley. A few pounding footsteps told them the direction it was coming from, and they saw a huge red beast coming out of the woods with the body of a bear, the face of a boar, and huge red wings that seemed just a little too small for a creature of its size. "Oh look, speak of the Winged Boar Spirit! _There it is right now_!" Penga and Ho Tun let out a scream, Kotaro and The Dark One staying quiet as they looked up at the beast, completely calm and aware of the situation. The Boar lifted up a fistful of shoes and started stuffing them in its mouth.

"_It's eating my shoes_!" Penga shrieked, "_How'd it find my shoes?_!"

The Boar snorted and a sort of black mist came out. Kotaro recognized it right away as shadow bending. _Well, at least I know where Hoshi is now._ He thought to himself.

"Oh, no!" Sokka shouted, "Now it's letting out its black mist of doom that is sure to bring curses upon us all!" All of this was happening while it stuffed more of Penga's shoes into its mouth.

"Mommy, save me from my doom…" Ho Tun gasped before he fainted.

Penga was foaming at the mouth as she watched the beast eat the shoes, "_Nooo_!_ Not the jade platforms_!_ Anything but the jade platforms_!" She screamed.

"This is ridiculous." The Dark One said loud enough for everyone to hear him, "I know that's you in there, Sifu Toph."

The chest of the boar was pushed open, revealing a grinning Toph with Hoshiko just behind her in the hollow of the beast's chest, "Very perceptive, The Dark One!" Toph praised, "Or should I say _Moo-Chee-Goo-Chee-La-Poo-Chee the Third_!"

His eyes widened at the sound of his birth name. He dropped to his knees, looking utterly hopeless, "_By uttering that name… You've lodged a splinter into my soul…_!" He gasped, his eyes filling up with tears as he curled up on the ground.

"This is going better than I hoped!" Sokka said happily, reaching into his pockets, "Everybody feel all that emotion coursing through your bodies? I want you to direct it at these coins!" He tossed out the coins with a wide, hopeful smile, "_Let's metal bend Team Beifong_!"

The coins dropped uselessly beside an unconscious Ho Tun, a sobbing Moo-Chee-Goo-Chee-La-Poo-Chee the Third, and an almost mentally destroyed Penga who kept muttering, "My shoes… My shoes…"

"Er… Team Beifong?" Sokka questioned, looking at the three of them.

"Wow. I don't think I've ever seen a more hopeless looking group." Hoshiko said as she and Toph climbed out of the metal boar spirit.

Toph sighed, "That's it. I'm calling it a day." She muttered.

"Let's… Let's just get these kids back to the dojo." Kotaro said. "I think they've all had enough for one day." He walked forward, picking up Penga, his arm going under the young girl's rear, the other going around her back. Hoshiko went over to Ho Tun, grunting as she tried to pull him to his feet. Sokka came over to the other side and lifted up one arm onto his shoulders, while she did the same with his other one and walked down the path, dragging him. Toph reached down, patting the shoulder of the still sobbing Moo-Chee-Goo-Chee-La-Poo-Chee, urging him to get up. He wiped his tears, although Toph could still feel his body trembling from the episode as he walked down the path. She used her earth bending to put the campfire out before she followed them, letting out a despondent sigh.

* * *

"What were you even doing in that thing?" Kotaro asked as he and Hoshiko prepared for bed. "I know that you made a fake shadow mist or something, but is that all?"

"Toph wanted me to be in there to make the roar sound more realistic." Hoshiko said, she let out a soft little roar that sounded very much like the one that had come out of the Winged Boar Spirit. "She said she couldn't do one like that, so she asked me to."

"Oh." Kotaro said, he reached back, undoing the tie that kept his hair back and letting it fall around his shoulders, "You'd think a girl like her would want to make that kind of sound on her own."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Hoshiko said. She paused when they heard a tapping sound on the window. Kotaro stared at it for a moment, wondering just what it was and pulled the shutters open. His eyes widened when he saw the Fire Nation messenger hawk sitting on the windowsill.

"No…" He muttered. He looked back at Hoshiko and she anxiously looked at the bird. She walked over to it, reaching to the canister on its back and pulling out the scroll. "What does it say? Read it to me."

Hoshiko glanced up at him, "You know very well what this is… Do you really want me to read it to you?"

"Just… read it." Kotaro muttered. Hoshiko sighed and unraveled the scroll, looking over the neatly written script that she recognized as Zuko's elegant handwriting.

"Hoshiko, as tensions grow between us and the Earth Kingdom, we have no choice but to ask that your vacation last no longer than it already has. I need you by my side if war is to be declared, the Fire Nation would be lost without its Fire Lord. When you receive this letter, you are to ship out by sunrise. Sincerely, Fire Lord Zuko." She read aloud. Kotaro's shoulders slumped and he sat down on the bed. Hoshiko looked at him sadly and came over beside him, "I'm sorry, Kota…"

"Sunrise… That would only give us an hour together at best." He said softly. He sighed, "I know you need to meet your duties, and I support it…" He trailed off.

"You just don't want us to be separated for another year." Hoshiko said, finishing his thoughts. "If Zuko's right and war is impending on us, maybe we won't be."

"And what if you die in that war?" Kotaro asked. "When Kagemi took over, that was the most painful thing I'd ever experienced. What if you die for real this time?"

"I… I can't promise that I won't die, because at some point you know we both will." She said softly, "But I can promise to do everything I can to get back to you." Kotaro sighed and reached up, taking her in his arms. She returned the embrace, wrapping her arms around his middle.

"Come back so we can finally start planning that wedding of ours." Kotaro murmured in her ear. Hoshiko smiled and hugged him a little closer.

"I'll do everything that I can." She promised, kissing his cheek before pulling back. "I'm going to pack."

"I'll help you." Kotaro offered. They both got off the bed and started gathering up the small amount of possessions that Hoshiko had brought with her, packing them up. It only took them ten or so minutes. Once it was done they shared one more embrace, this one filled with a few sweet kisses before Kotaro let her go. She closed the door to his bedroom behind her as she made her way out. She stopped when she heard footsteps that weren't hers and she went to the main rooms, seeing Penga, Ho Tun, and Moo-Chee-Goo… Let's just go back to calling him The Dark One all with their bags on their shoulders.

"What are you doing?" She whispered to them, "Your match is tomorrow!"

"We know." The Dark One muttered, "And ever since we came here, we haven't been able to metal bend at all. We all think it's best if we just pack it up and get out of here. Sifu Toph said so, too."

Penga nodded, "She said she didn't want us showing up to the match tomorrow, and told us to go home."

Hoshiko's eyes widened, "Toph is… giving up?"

"Can't say we blame her." Ho Tun said, "We're not the best students. We're terrible."

"No, you're not." Hoshiko assured him, "There's a reason Toph chose you guys-"

"Toph! There you are!" Sokka's loud voice broke in, making them all freeze for a moment. Toph was waiting at the front gate, where they had been planning to leave through. "Don't give up yet, okay?" Hoshiko moved to the window to see Toph sitting on the front steps, her legs pulled up close to her body as Sokka came to sit down beside her, "I just got a _brand-new_ best idea ever! What if I rig it so that-"

"You ever think about metal?" Toph cut in.

"Nope. When I have extra thinking time, I usually spend it on food. Meat, specifically." He replied in a cheery voice, wanting that cheeriness to pass on to her.

"Metal is just a part of earth that's been purified and refined." Toph began, "But how does it become like that? By getting heated, melted, and pounded. By going through _pressure_ and _pain_. I discovered metal bending in a tiny metal cell, when Master Yu and Xin Fu were taking me back to my parents. That whole trip, all I could think about was how my parents expected me to be something I'm not. Sure, they wanted me to be helpless, but they also wanted me to be a cultured, well-mannered, soft-spoken little lady. All I felt was _pressure_ and _pain_. When I brought Ho Tun, Penga, and The Dark One to this school, I expected them to become _metal benders_! I was gonna make them tough enough to move the most stubborn part of the most stubborn element! I expected them to be something they're not." Hoshiko glanced at the students, who were still standing and listening as Toph spoke about them and the high expectations she had for them, "How is what I'm doing to _them_ different from what my parents did to _me_? Maybe the Beifong Metal Bending Academy is just a way for me to pass all that pressure and pain to someone else."

"No, Toph. That's not what this place is at all…" Sokka tried to speak to her, but she turned around, walking through the front gate back inside.

"When Kunyo comes tomorrow I'm gonna go up to him and sit down." She said, "He can have his school back." Sokka sighed and slumped in his seat.

Hoshiko turned around to face Toph's students, and they still hadn't moved from where they were standing, "Do you understand now? Toph chose you guys because she expected you to be great metal benders. She wanted to share this amazing ability with someone, and she chose the three of you because she knows that you all have the potential to be amazing earth benders."

"…No one's ever really thought of me that way." Ho Tun said softly, wringing the strings to his back in his hands. "Not even my folks."

"Me too…" Penga murmured.

The Dark One was silent, staring down at the floor.

Hoshiko looked at the three of them, "I hope you'll reconsider leaving the school. I know Toph saw something in you guys, and I'm sure you'll find just what that was if you stick around."

Ho Tun took a deep breath, "I'm going to go find a coin to practice with." He said, dropping his bag on the floor and walking out of the room.

"Wait for me! I want to practice, too!" Penga called, coming after him, leaving her huge suitcase in the room as well. Hoshiko glanced over at The Dark One and he sighed.

"I hate walking the path back home alone." He muttered, and he dropped his bag, following after the two other students. Hoshiko smiled and made her way to the front gate. Sokka jumped when she came out.

"Hoshiko! What are you…" He trailed off when he saw the bag on her shoulders, "You're leaving already?"

"I have to." Hoshiko said, "This stay was only temporary anyways. I've been ordered to return to the Fire Nation palace. Direct from Zuko."

Sokka groaned. "Man, I was hoping you could stick around a little longer. In terms of oogie-osity, you and Kotaro aren't as bad about it as Katara and Aang." Hoshiko grinned.

"They're just getting into the whole young love thing. Wait until they start going steady. It'll get a lot worse after that." She giggled when Sokka groaned again, falling back onto the steps.

He poked his head up, smiling at her, "Well, it was a good visit while it lasted." He pushed himself to stand and held out his arms. Hoshiko came over and shared a quick hug with him. "We'll miss you, Hoshiko."

"I'll miss you, too. Say goodbye to Toph for me?" She asked as she pulled away.

"Yeah." Sokka nodded, "See you another time, I guess."

"See you." Hoshiko said, making her way down the path to the docks near the city of Yu Dao, planning on getting the first ride back to the Fire Nation.

* * *

The ship that took her back home, by coincidence, was Kuroza's ship. She stood out by the railing again, watching the morning sun rise up over the horizon. She looked out over the deck, seeing Kuroza give some commands to one of the ship hands. Their eyes met for a moment and she nodded to him in greeting. He returned the gesture before he turned back to the ship hand, dismissing him. He made his way over to Hoshiko, his hands placed behind his back in a formal way as he approached.

"How was your time in Yu Dao?" He asked.

"It was good." Hoshiko said, "It could have been better." She turned to face the sea again, "It could have lasted longer."

"During times such as these, moments ashore with loved ones are memories to be treasured." Kuroza said, "You should not be bitter for the moments you disliked. Or in the years to come, those are the only moments you will remember of that time."

Hoshiko quirked an eyebrow curiously at the older man, "You sound as if you speak from experience."

He shrugged, "My wife… When I first took this job, I was away for months on end. It always distressed her, and myself as well. When I returned home, it was always for a certain amount of time. Seven days, five days, or even three. It was all too short in my opinion, and that was all I ever remember of those days. I don't remember the fond moments of my visits that my wife remembers, the time we spent, the daily outings, the nights together…" He sighed, "All I can remember is my disgruntlement towards my short shore leave. If my wife remembered the same, I imagine she would not still be my wife. Now I look to her for all my happiness and my warm memories."

"That doesn't sound so bad." Hoshiko said.

"I beg to differ." Kuroza said, "This past year is the longest you've been apart?"

"Since we got engaged." Hoshiko said, "The longest we've been apart is two years, and we didn't have the luxury of contacting each other through messenger hawks back then."

"Well… Imagine those two years as the remainders of your lives." Kuroza said, "You would be away from home, away from your betrothed, with no way to contact him. Wouldn't you rather remember the fond times you shared with him, rather than lamenting over the time you did not?"

"That's… very true." Hoshiko said. She bit her lip thoughtfully as she looked out over the sea, "You don't think… You don't think Zuko will keep me employed as his body guard for that long, do you? Surely, he wouldn't… I mean, I'm going to get married, start a family… What I've dreamed of doing." She glanced at Kuroza, "I… I can get that dream, can't I?"

"It's possible." Kuroza said, "Having a child will certainly keep your husband busy, but when you are gone for such long periods of time, you won't be able to see that child grow up." He sighed, "It's something I've always regretted."

Hoshiko was silent, turning her gaze back to the sea, chewing on her lip as she thought to herself. Kuroza, seeing how engrossed she was becoming in her own mind, turned and went back to another part of the ship to see if anything else needed to be done.

"Oh, by the way." He paused and turned to her, "We should arrive at the Fire Nation within the day."

"Thanks." Hoshiko said absently, her mind still focused on her thoughts.

* * *

"_Greetings, enemies of Kunyo!_" Kunyo shouted as he pushed the doors to Toph's dojo open with a flourish, his three students behind him. He still had the bent up spear on his head, only this time, the ends were decorated with a pair of flags, one for the Fire Nation, the other bore the symbol of his fire bending dojo, "_Prepare to be roasted in the flames of your own defeat_!"

Sokka had been waiting by the door for them, and he snickered when he saw Kunyo, "Nice headgear."

"I find it a convenient way to carry flags." Kunyo replied quickly, "I can take it off any time I want." He briskly walked through the dojo, heading to the main training room where Toph was waiting for him alone. "Where are your students, young lady? It's time to begin _our deadly match to the_… uh, _sit_!"

"I don't know where they are. But it doesn't matter, you can have your school back, Kunyo." Toph answered, throwing him for a loop, having expected her to throw some kind of sneak attack tactic on him and his students, "You win this match to the sit."

"Ha ha! I knew it!" He laughed victoriously as Toph started to bend her knees, making it so she would sit.

"_Sifu Toph_! _Don't sit down_!" Ho Tun shouted as he, Penga, and The Dark One ran into the room. He waved his hand in a sharp motion and one of the coins that had been set up from their earlier practice sessions wavered off of the stand and veered off of it, quickly moving to smack itself on Toph's rear end.

"Ow!" She cried as she stood up. She listened, and she could hear the small clinks of the coin as it bounced along the floor. Her eyes widened as she realized what just happened and she turned towards her students, "Ho Tun? Did you just… metal bend?"

"Yeah. I think I did." Ho Tun said, sounding as if he was a little surprised himself.

"Ho Tun figured it out!" Penga cheered.

"I can't believe it." The Dark One muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

Toph grinned widely, "Normally, I'd pummel you for hitting me in the butt, but in this case, good job!" She gave him a thumbs-up.

"Please don't sit down, Sifu Toph!" Ho Tun pleaded, "Last night the three of us heard-"

"Is this some kind of dirt people trick?!" Kunyo shouted, very unnerved by the sight of the flying coin, "_Disciples of Kunyo, attack_!" His three students got into their feet-on-shoulder tower formation, creating another elegantly designed tower of fire with their bending.

"Aaah!" Toph's student's stepped back away from the fire fearfully.

Sokka and Kotaro, who had been watching nearby, looked at the scene before them. Sokka turned to Kotaro, "Quick, give me all the coins you have!"

"What?" Kotaro was a little confused at first, but as he saw Sokka rummaging through his own pockets, he started to understand, "Oh, right!" He started quickly fishing in his pockets for all the coins he could grab until his fist was full of them.

"Come on, Team Beifong!" Sokka cheered, "It's no time to hide! Let's metal bend!" He threw his coins out at the students and Kotaro did the same, they all managed to catch them with metal bending, but some of the coins still fell on the floor since they were still just beginners and could only take so much at one time.

Ho Tun, being the first to understand metal bending, easily used the coins he caught to knock the top student off of the fiery tower.

"Ha ha! This is easy!" Penga said happily as she knocked the second student off.

"Hmph. I hate that it took us this long to figure it out." The Dark One said, raising up a large amount of coins and sending them at the last remaining student from the tower. The student let out a yelp and ran away.

"Help!" He cried.

Another student came to his aid, creating a wall of fire to block the coins, but they easily went through it, and became burning to the touch. "Yikes!" The student cried, but kept the wall of fire up.

"Stop fire bending, my fellow disciples! We're just heating up the coins!" The third student said, taking refuge behind one of the other students as the hot coins flew towards them.

"Don't you dare stop, disciples of Kunyo!" Kunyo shouted at them, "Never stop fire bending! Never!"

Toph's students turned their attention to the fire bending master, directing a large group of coins at his head. Again and again, he was hit with the small pieces of metal, letting out cries of pain until he finally lost his balance when one too many coins hit his spear-made-headgear and fell back on his rear. The new metal benders cheered when they saw they made him sit down.

Kunyo, trying to keep as much of his pride as he could, directed his students out of the dojo and down the pathway that led back to town. Toph and her students stood out on the porch of the building with Sokka and Kotaro.

"You guys _actually_ found out how to metal bend!" Kotaro praised Ho Tun, clapping him on the shoulder with a wide smile, "I can't tell you how proud I am of you!"

Ho Tun, not used to the praise, blushed in embarrassment, "I-It wasn't really that big a deal…"

"It _is_ a big deal!" Sokka said, he looked down at Penga with a wide smile, "You guys oughta be really proud of yourselves! I'm impressed, Penga!"

"Kick rocks, loser!" Penga said with a wide smile of her own, "I'm over you! Ho Tun's the one for me now!"

"W-Wha…?!" Ho Tun's blush deepened as he looked down at his fellow student, taking a step back from her for a moment.

The Dark One, who had been quiet up until now, turned to Toph, "Sifu Toph. Last night, the three of us were packed up and ready to leave. Then we overheard what you said about us."

"I don't get it." Toph replied, "I didn't say a single nice thing about any of you."

"You told my ex you expected us to become metal benders." Penga said, pointing to Sokka.

"Nobody's ever expected me to be anything more than a… a… a _wimp_." Ho Tun said with a sad frown.

"…A spoiled brat." Penga said, pouting.

"…A tall, dark, mysterious hunk." The Dark One said.

Kotaro, Sokka and Toph all turned to him with dry expressions. "Dude, really?" Kotaro asked.

"Why can't people see I'm more than just a pretty face?! I have the soul of a poet!" The Dark One snapped.

Ignoring him, Ho Tun continued speaking, "Sifu Toph, you're the first person to believe that we can become _more_ than what we are."

Toph was facing away from her students, a smile on her face. She reached up and wiped away one of the tears that had welled up in her eyes. There was no way she would let them see her crying, even if it was in joy. Her smile shook a little and she took in a deep breath and turned around, remnants of the tears still in her eyes as she said, "What're you lily livers waiting for, then?! You think getting some coins to fly through the air makes you _metal bending masters_?! Get back to practice!"

"Yes, Sifu Toph." The students replied, bowing deeply to their master. Toph's smile still shook a little and she let out a single sniffle, but no more tears fell. She was back to her old self in a matter of minutes as she directed her students inside, telling them to get to work. Kotaro smiled fondly as he watched the four of them walk in. Him and Sokka remaining outside.

"I'm glad to see she succeeded in her teaching." Kotaro said, "I can't tell you how long we've waited for this day." He turned to Sokka, who smiled at him.

"It's good to see Toph happy, too." He said. Kotaro nodded.

"Hoshiko will be happy to hear about this." He said.

Sokka nodded slowly, "Yeah… I saw her last night, when she left." Kotaro didn't respond, "You gonna be okay?"

"I'm sure Zuko won't keep her for another year." Kotaro replied, "She'll be back soon… hopefully." Sokka didn't say anything to make him doubt those thoughts, but he didn't say anything to encourage them either.

* * *

Hoshiko looked around the palace, taking in a deep breath as she walked through the halls that she never even thought she would become so familiar with. She shouldered her bag one more time before heading into her bedroom and dropping it off on her bed, heading into her closet to change into her guarding uniform. It felt so strange to walk around in armor after being bereft of it for so long.

Once she was dressed and her hair was pinned back she made her way to the throne room where Zuko was. He was sitting on his throne, seeming to be lost in thought, not even acknowledging her presence until she was just a few feet away. He looked up and she bowed to him. "You're back." He said, sounding almost relieved.

"As you ordered." She replied, standing up, "How have you been holding up since I left? It was kind of a sudden return order…"

Zuko shrugged, "Well enough. The Kyoshi warriors have been doing their jobs."

"Well, since you're still alive, I kind of already knew that." Hoshiko said, grinning at him. Zuko didn't respond and she made her way up to stand beside him, "That's odd. Normally my sarcastic replies give you at least a little smirk."

"Sorry, I've just been… busy." He didn't meet her eyes.

"Okay… If you say so." Hoshiko was suspicious, but she decided not to pursue it, "What are you doing in here anyway? I thought you hated the throne room?"

"I do." He sighed, looking down at the oil-filled trench, "I was just… thinking. This is where people look for the Fire Lord. I should be in here more often." He lifted his hand, shooting a ball of fire at the oil, lighting it. Hoshiko jumped back from the flames, startled by it. She regained her composure soon enough and looked at Zuko, surprised that he would light it. He stared at the flames for a moment, then sighed, "This isn't me." He waved his hands and the fire went out. The door to the throne room opened and Mai walked in, wearing a sour expression on her face, although it was hard to tell, since she always looked like she was scowling.

"Mai, it's good to see you." Hoshiko greeted. Mai gave a nod in her direction, and sent an icy glare to Zuko as she approached his throne.

"I know you've been secretly meeting with Ozai." She told him.

Hoshiko's eyes almost popped out of her skull, "You _what?_!"

"Mai!" Zuko hissed, trying to tell her not to mention it in front of Hoshiko, "Who did you hear that from?"

"Does it matter? _Not from you_." She still glared at him and Hoshiko shuddered fearfully. Mai always looked like she was scowling, but when she was mad, _boy_ was she _mad_.

"I know I keep screwing up. But, please… I… I love you, Mai." Zuko pleaded with her. Hoshiko knew that they had been going through some rocky times, but had something happened while she was gone to make them fight like this?

"I know. But lately, I've realized that you love your secrets more. You'll have an easier time keeping them when you're alone." Mai said.

"What are you telling me?" Zuko asked, fearing her answer.

Mai bowed to him in the traditional Fire Nation way with a fist in her open hand as she said, "Goodbye, Fire Lord." Then she turned around and started walking away.

"Mai! Come back!" Zuko called after her, "I—I—_I order you to come back_!" Hoshiko's eyes widened. She had never heard him talk like this. Ordering someone to come back? Zuko always let people leave if they wanted to, he had never truly said 'I order you' to anyone _once_ in his entire rule as Fire Lord. He had made requests that were taken as orders (Because you don't just say 'no' to the ruler of a nation), and suggestions, but never orders.

When the door closed behind Mai, he let out a groan, smacking his forehead, "_Argh_! Why would I say that? So stupid…"

"What happened to you?" Hoshiko asked him, "Zuko, I've never seen you like this." Zuko turned to her, and she could see the small amount of fear in his eyes, as well as the distress on his face. What he was afraid of, she wasn't sure, but he was afraid of something. "Did Ozai say something to you to make you act like this? Why would you even _meet_ with him in the first place?"

"I…" Zuko hesitated, "I didn't know where else to go! I had no one to ask about being Fire Lord except him."

"But he was a _terrible_ Fire Lord!" Hoshiko said, "You should know better!"

"I _know_!" Zuko shouted at her, and Hoshiko jumped back. Again, that fear was present in his eyes and he calmed down, "I-I… I know. I'm sorry, I was… I was just desperate."

"You could have called on your uncle." Hoshiko suggested quietly, "You could have called on Aang to get advice. You could have called on anyone _but_ Ozai."

"I know…" He sighed and sat down on the throne, "He was just the only Fire Lord I knew of. He had experience ruling his country. I didn't know who else to turn to for advice. I haven't been able to sleep right in months, and you know it, yet somehow my father slept peacefully every night, even after all the horrible things he had done."

Hoshiko came over to his side and put her hand on his shoulder, she gave it a reassuring squeeze as she thought about what to say, "I… I wish I could give you the peace that you're looking for. Or that I knew of someone who could." She said softly, "But… I don't. And I'm sorry for that. But I _can_ offer you my friendship, and with that comes my loyalty. I can promise that if you ever need me, or _any_ of your friends, you can call on us and we'll be here for you. You just need to trust us a little more." Zuko sighed again and he nodded, reaching up and patting the hand that rested on his shoulder.

"…Thank you, Hoshiko." Hoshiko smiled softly and pulled her hand away.

"Any time." She looked up when the doors opened again and Suki stepped through, wearing her Kyoshi armor. "Suki? I thought you would have started getting ready to go home by now."

"Was Mai here?" She asked, "Did she speak with you?" Hoshiko made cutting motions at her throat, shaking her head, and Suki's eyes widened at the sight.

"She broke up with me." Zuko said. "She said I'm keeping too many secrets from her, and that I value them over her."

"Oh…" Suki bowed her head and kneeled down before Zuko, "This is all my fault! I'm so sorry! When I asked her to talk to you about your father, that wasn't quite what I had in mind." Zuko's eyes widened.

"How did you-?"

"I followed you yesterday morning." She said, "Sorry about that, too." She lifted her head, "We just wanted to know what was going on, to see if we could help in some way. The Kyoshi warriors are really worried about you, Zuko. _I'm_ really worried about you." She held out her hand and Zuko took it, helping her to stand up. He opened his mouth to say something, but once more, the front door of the throne room was opened.

"Fire Lord Zuko!" A man came quickly striding in. Hoshiko recognized his uniform as that of a general's, so he was her superior.

"General Mak!" Zuko turned to him as he knelt down before his Fire Lord.

"A message has arrived from the spies you sent to the Earth Kingdom!" He said.

"What the hell?!" Hoshiko exclaimed, glaring at Zuko.

"You sent spies?!" Suki snapped.

"Your suspicions are confirmed." The general continued, ignoring the two women, "The Earth King's army now marches towards Yu Dao."

Hoshiko turned to the general with wide eyes. Why would the Earth Kingdom send troops to Yu Dao? Surely… King Kuei should have been more sensible than this. He was _supporting_ the Harmony Restoration movement, after all! Shouldn't they talk with him before starting another war?

"Father… You were _right_." Zuko murmured. He turned to the general, "Assemble the troops, we won't let our soldiers be there without back up."

"Yes, sir." The general stood up and went to carry out his orders.

Zuko turned to Hoshiko, "Grab some supplies and whatever you need to carry out into battle."

"You're not seriously doing this, are you?" Hoshiko asked. Zuko turned to her.

"I'm not about to let the people I put in charge of guarding Yu Dao get slaughtered by those earth benders!" He snapped, "Now go!"

Hoshiko bit her lip and sighed, heading out of the room, she could hear Zuko speaking to Suki, "You and your warriors are free to leave whenever you want. Your services are no longer required."

"Excuse me?!" Suki snapped, "You're about to go to war with the Earth Kingdom, shouldn't you be thinking this through?!"

"The Earth King made his choice, now I'm giving him my response." Zuko said, she could hear his footsteps echoing behind him as he headed out to another part of the palace. Hoshiko glanced back, seeing that he was gone. Suki looked over at her, and she sighed.

"You're not really going to do this, are you?" Suki asked.

"Zuko's my friend." Hoshiko said, "As powerful a fire bender he is, he still needs back up, and I promised him that."

"I can't go back to Kyoshi Island in good conscience knowing what's about to happen." Suki said.

Hoshiko smiled, "I hoped you might say something like that." She took Suki's hand, "If you'll give me a moment, I can tell you where you can find Toph's metal bending school. I'll make you a map or something."

"Why would I need to go to Toph's school?" Suki asked.

"Sokka and Kotaro are there." Hoshiko said, "Find them, get them and Toph to come down. We need to find some way to end this before it turns into another civil war."

"I couldn't agree more." Suki said. They dashed off to Hoshiko's room where she quickly gathered up her things after creating a poorly drawn map of where Toph's school was and how close it was to Yu Dao. Suki promised to find their little group, moving out to hitch a ride with one of the war balloons while Hoshiko moved to join Zuko on the ships that were making their way to the Earth Kingdom.

* * *

**Oh my God. I'm sorry I didn't update this sooner. I just didn't really bother with it for a while... I hope this makes up for it for now.**


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